Betrayal
by Rated-RKORyder
Summary: After a betrayal that leaves her husband to die in her arms, Eva is out for blood. Now a former assassin, she's on the hunt for her betrayer but gets attacked and her target flees without a trace of his whereabouts. As she tries to track him again, she's arrested and brought before King John of Nottinghamshire and offered a deal. Her freedom for killing Robin Hood.
1. Til Death Do Us Part

I sat on the one of the large stones outlooking the water. I couldn't do it. I watched the water fall from the sky and cover the land around me. I blocked out the coldness I felt as a gust of wind crashed against my drenched form. I deserved it. I let everyone down. The king, my family, and him…

I close my eyes and let the water drip down my over my face. I could just off myself right now. I have a sword of my own that would work perfectly. No. That's a coward's death. I'm better off walking far away into the wilderness and let the animals take me. At least the thought of animals picking at my carcass is better than the fate that awaits me in Nottinghamshire.

I draw my knees to my chest and rest my chin on my knees. I couldn't help but wonder if he's looking for me? I mean I did run off without really explaining anything. Not that I could have, given the fact that I was hired to kill him when he was most vulnerable. Funny how things work. I felt a small warmth as my memory brings me back to that night…that glorious night. The warmth, the secure feeling…

I shake my head. It was wrong. It shouldn't have happened. I shouldn't have gotten so close.

_You were vulnerable. You wanted to me loved…_ The voice inside my head says.

I open my eyes and look out at the water. "I don't deserve to be loved." I whisper. "I deserve to die. I betrayed everyone." Anger rushed through me so fast I couldn't breathe for a moment. I should have just done my job, took the reward and left!

The coldness bites at me and I wrap my arms around myself. I have a decision to make but until I make up my mind, I'm not leaving this spot.

**_5 years ago…._**

"Ow!"I cringe as my shadow sister, Dyota, tugged at my hair.

"Sorry." She said softly before finishing with my hair. "There you go!" She shifts slightly and hands me a small polished metal mirror. I smile at the two plaits on either side that came together into one braid in the back while the rest of it was down. Weaved into the side braids were little flowers and ribbons. "I love it!" I look over at her and she beams.

I thank her once more before standing and smoothing out the front of my gown as her delicate fingers start to lace up the back. I play with the belled sleeves. She ties it tighter and tighter until I gasp. "Can you breathe?" She asks.

"Barely."

She loosens it slightly and finishes. "There, done!"

I turn around and look at her. "How do I look?" I grin. She clasps her hands together.

"You look beautiful, sister!" She grins. She looks over to the doorway and quickly goes silent. I turn to see William.

Dressed in guard armor, he crosses his large arms over his chest. "Eva. Leo needs to speak with you of our mission. He wants to go over the plans."

I nod and say goodbye to Dyota before following William down the stone hallway. I stride up next to him and frown. "So serious." I say before looking at him. He smiles at me and swiftly picks me up in his arms.

"You look beautiful." He says as he carries me into his living quarters and sets me down. His hands gently run over my arms. I shiver.

I turn away dramaticly. "Sir! I'm almost a married woman!" I say putting the back of my hand up to my forehead. I hear his deep voice chuckle as he turns me around. His gentle blue eyes look into mine and I smile.

"You are married, my dear lady."He leans forward, his lips brushing mine. "To me." He kisses me and I giggle and wrap my arms around him. Marrying William was one of the greatest days of my life. Afterall, he was the one who recuited me into the Shadow Hunters after killing my stepfather.

_Long ago…._

_My step father was a cruel man who beat me and called me foul things. He forced me to clean his house and work for him while sitting around and drinking mead all day long. One night when I was cleaning the cinders out of the fireplace, my step father had fallen asleep in the chair with a bottle of mead in his hand. I gently hummed to myself while trying to block out his snoring. I heard something hit the ground and turned to see the bottle of mead shattered on the ground. I frown. "Wonderful." I mutter. I crawl over to the mess._

_"Careful, Lass." I hear a deep voice say. Startled I lean back and look around. Maybe it was just my imagination playing tricks on me. I turn to the cinder pile and hear his tankard hit the floor with a metallic sound. He grumbles and looks around before seeing the shattered bottle. His eyes bore into me as he stands. "Why you stupid little harlot! Why I'll—" He stops mid-sentence and his eyes go wide and his mouth opens in an O shape._

_"Father?" I say. He gasps and blood trickles down his neck into his tunic before he falls sideways onto the little table. It breaks and he falls to the ground. "Father!" I crawl towards him when a man dress in black steps out of the shadows. "Careful, Lass." I look up and my eyes widen. The man is tall and wearing black robes with a black hood that covers his face excluding the eyes. I quickly scramble backwards._

_"Please…"I plead. "Please don't hurt me. Take anything you want!" Hot tears start to form and slide down my cheeks. He steps forward and removes his hood._

_"Easy, lass. I'm not here to hurt you." He says softly. He slowly steps forward and I see his face in the moonlight that pours in through one of the windows. He has a strong jaw with a bit of stubble. His dark hair is cut short. He's actually kind of…handsome._

_"Wh-who are you?" I asks shakily. "Why did you kill my father?"_

_He looks around. "Are you alone?"_

_"Maybe." I say, attempting to sound strong. "Answer me."_

_He looks at me for a moment and takes a breath. "I'm a Shadow Hunter. An assassin. I was paid by a client to kill your father after he stiffed him for a few cases of mead."_

_"Are you going to kill me now?" I ask, afraid of the answer._

_His brow furrows. "Normally I would so I don't leave witnesses but—"_

_"Just kill me." I cut him off. "I have no way of paying for food or anything. He was all I had left after my mother died a year ago." My lip quivers slightly. "I'll starve to death anyways. It's better off to just end my life now."_

_He looks at me with… sympathy? Pity? Stepping closer he holds out a hand. "Come with me."_

_I look at his hand then back at his face. "Why?"_

_"Please?" He smiles. I grab his hand and he helps me up. I stand there for a moment not quite sure what to do as he looks around. "Is there anything around here that you want to take with you?"_

_I think about this and nod. "My mother's necklace."_

_"Grab it and anything else you want to take with you then meet me outside. And hurry."_

_I nod and cross the room to kitchen and grab the empty potato sack and grab my mother's jewelry box, my father's small sack of coins and his dagger along with my night rail and two gowns before stepping outside. The man is sitting atop big black horse when I walk out. He looks over at me. "Ready?"_

_I nod as I approach slowly. I haven't really been around many horses in my life. The man holds out a hand and smiles. "Don't worry, lass. He's friendly. Come on." I walk over and grab his hand. Putting a foot in one of the stirrups and he pulls me up onto the horse. I quickly fall forward and he chuckles. 'You okay,lass?"_

_"Uh huh." I say, slightly embarrassed._

_"Better hold on." He says and makes a clicking noise. The horse goes and I almost fall back before grabbing around his waist. Under his robes I can make out the hardened muscles of his stomach making me bite my lip. "So…may I ask your name?" I say._

_"My name is William. William Hastings." He replies. "How about you?"_

_"Eva Dowgate." I reply. "It's a pleasure to meet you William."_

_He turns his head slightly and I see him smile. "Likewise, my lady."_

_We ride through the night to this mossy rock. He brushes aside the hanging moss to reveal a door. He does something before we hear a click and the door opens. He motions me inside and I walk into the room. William disappears for a moment as stare down a brightly lit hallway that leads down. He reemerges from behind me with my sack of things and hands it to me before guilding me down the hallway. As we get closer to the end, we hear voices. We turn the corner into this big open area to a table full of food and people talking. There's about two women and two men in black robes like William's. The man at the head of the table turns to look at us. He has a small beard and light blonde hair. "Ah William! How did it go?" He smiles. He notices me and his smile falters slightly. "Who's your friend?"_

_The other three shift uneasily as William pushes me forward a little bit. "New recruit."_

_The other three greet me as the Blonde haired man stands up. "How about you get acquainted with the other members while William and I discuss some business." He says to me with a smile. I nod and walk over to the table while the two men step into a nearby room._

_"Delvin, let me explain…" William starts._

_"Who is that?" Delvin demands. "You had a contract to get rid of somebody, bring one home."_

_William runs a hand over his hair. "I know. She's the daughter of my target. Her name is Eva and I think she can help us get back the reputation we once held long ago."_

_"Did you see her show some sort of skill? Lock picking? Pick Pocketing? Oh I don't know… killing people?"_

_"No…" He says and Delvin rolls his eyes. "But when I was scouting out my target I saw how badly he treated the lass. I couldn't bare to watch a beautiful woman go through that."_

_Crossing his arms over his chest, Delvin smirks. "You like her, eh?"_

_"That's not the point." William frowns. "If I left here there, she'd starve to death. I couldn't let that happen."_

_Delvin sighs. "Will… we're killers. We're not an orphanage for lonely children and we're definitely not some heroes here to save the day."_

_"Please Delvin." He begs. "I'll train her myself if I need to. Please let her stay."_

_"Fine." Delvin sighs. "But if she makes a bad name for us and we have the guards knocking on our door, you get to answer to the family. Got that?"_

_Grinning, he nods. "Thanks Delvin. You won't be disappointed."_

_"I better not be." They walk back out just as Edric, Dyota and Lucia were telling Eva stories of their past targets._

_"Now there was this jester…Cicero was his name. Quite the madman." Edric exclaimed, the red braids of his mustache bouncing with every word spoken. "Claimed that if he thought hard enough, he could walk straight through walls!"_

_William clears his throat and they all look at him. Turning to Delvin he grins. "Go ahead boss."_

_Delvin steps forward and looks straight at me. "Well Eva….Welcome to the Shadows!"_

_I smile and glance at William who winks at me while the others cheer. Edric stands up so quickly his belly knocks over a plate and spills his tankard. He grabs the nearest one and raises it, splashing Lucia with mead. "Hey!"She exclaims._

_"To our newest Shadow Sister!" Edric cheers._

_The all raise a fist in the air and chant. Delvin silences them and looks at me. "William will get you set up with a room and robes. For the meantime, William will be in charge of training you. You may ask your other Shadow siblings if you need extra help with things like Archery, Sneaking and lockpicking, sword fighting or anything. We're all here to help. Welcome to the family."_

_Another round of cheers. Delvin looked over at William and nodded before taking a seat back at the table. I look back at William who motions for me to come with him. I follow him down a hall. Until we can get another room set up, you'll have to sleep in the extra bed in my room. Hope you don't mind._

_I shake my head. "Not at all! A bed is a bed."_

_He smiles at me. "You know lass, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship."_

From then on, William trained me into the master thief and assassin I am today. And with each training session, we grew closer and closer until we decided to go to a temple on our way back from a mission and get married.

Many times we would be each other's backup on dangerous missions like today when I would be impersonating the Princess Marie from France who was betrothed to Prince Alexander of York and was set to meet and wed today. The contract consisted of the Prince to be executed right as him and his new bride addressed their quests at the public reception.

I finally pull away and look into his eyes. "I love you so much." I say resting my forehead against him.

"I love you too, lass." We pull away and he leads me to Delvin's quarters. We arrive to see him pacing around his room. He stops as soon as he sees us.

"Good. You're both here. Now how do we get in?" He tests us.

"I ride in on the horse we stole as Princess Marie with Edric and William passing off as my royal guards. I am taken to meet Prince Alexander, our target before rushed away to get ready for the wedding. " I answer.

Delvin nods. "Good, good. And if they ask about the lack of royal carriage?"

"It was overtaken by bandits and most of my guards were killed. The three of us were just able to get away." I grin.

"Then right before the wedding feast, Edric will poison the Prince's drink just enough to weaken him." William adds.

"Then he'll excuse himself saying he's feeling ill…" Delvin says.

"I'll tell him to first let us address our guests from the balcony and thank them for coming then when all eyes are on him, I kill him!" I finish with a huge grin.

"Perfect!" Delvin exclaims with a laugh. "Escape plan?"

"The guards will make their way towards her and I'll try to divert them while Edric and Lucia hold them off. I lead Eva away and out to the forest where we'll meet up with Dyota who has our horses and weapons ready." Willaim smiles at me. "And I'll fight off any guards on the way out since Eva won't have any weapons with her."

"Perfect. Then you'll all meet back here." Delvin nods. "Alright. Walk in the shadows my friends. I'll see you back here later. Try not to get killed."

William and I leave Delvin's quarters and walk down the hallway in silence. William's hand brushes against mine and his fingers intertwine with mine and he smiles at me. We stop by Dyota so I can put on my word cloak before heading outside. I watch as Edric, Lucia and Dyota mount their horses before William helps me upon my large steed. As soon as I'm atop my horse he grasps my small hand in his and presses a kiss to the back and smiles. "For better or worse."

I smile and he releases my hand and climbs up upon his horse and we start our long journey to trip is long and tiring with a few breaks to eat and make camp for the night. We sleep under the stars and tell old stories of missions before putting out the fire and going to sleep. I lay with my husband facing me. I can see his stubbled chin and warm blue eyes in the slivers of moonlight through the trees. His warm hand caresses my arm as I snuggle closer to him.

"You alright, lass?" He whispers. Smiling, I nod.

"Yes. Just a little cold. That's all."

He pulls the blanket up around me more and pulls me closer. The heat from his body warms me up and I rest my head on his broad chest. Breathing out a sigh of content I close my eyes and let my sleepiness take over.

We awaken the next morning and Dyota fixes my hair which was messed up in my sleep. William stands guard as I bathe in a nearby creek and change into my gown. Lucia catches some rabbits that we skin and cook on the fire while Dyota silently passes out apples, cheese and mead. I sit and listen to the birds churping overheard while we eat and wonder if we'll ever be that free. I mean sure I love my family and everything they've done for me but can't help but wonder…

I'm brought back from my thoughts when I feel William grab my hand and give a little squeeze. He gives me a small smile which I return before we return to our meal.

Not long after we have packed up our camp, we're back on the road. A little ways from the gate, we stop where Dyota and Lucia dismount. Lucia changes into the uniform we stole off a York guard who was on the road. She then takes off to check in with the guards while the men and I get ready to make our entrance. "Walk in the shadows, sister." I say to Dyota.

"As do you."She smiles.

We take off towards York with a man on either side of me. We reach the massive wooden gates where one of the two guards in front stop us. "Halt! Who are you?"

Edric steps forward and I stifle a laugh as the guard steps back slightly. "I present the bride-to-be Princess Marie of France." Edric says regally.

The guard looks us over. "Where are your other carriages? Where are the other guards?"

Edric hangs his head. "Unfortunately they didn't make it. We were ambushed by bandits on the way here. Many guards were killed while they robbed us burnt our carriages. We were lucky enough to make it out!"

"Bandits have been reported rather recently near here…" The guard says. He nods. "Alright, welcome my lady and congratulations on your engagement."

I lower my head and look at him with a small smile. "Thank you." I say sweetly. They open the doors and we make our way to the stables. William helps me down from my mount and are escorted by a servant to the great hall. As we enter I am in awe at the place. Banners are hung on the walls of red and gold. Golden candle stands give the large room a warm feeling. I'm announced to the King and prince who sit in gold thrones inlaid with rubies on a large platform ahead of me.

I walk the large red carpet until I'm a few feet away and curtsey. "My lord." I say to the King.

"Rise child." His voice booms. "Let me take a look at you." I rise and hold my chin up. His son is a small man who looks like a boy who's possibly no older than 15. He sat awkwardly in his chair as he gawked at her. "Ah yes… You are much more beautiful than they said!" He smiles. "You are a perfect match for my son! Alexander, rise!"

The poor child stumbled a bit as he stood. "My lady." He said in a soft voice. He bowed and I curtsied before the King announced for preparations of the wedding. I'm led away to my quest chamber to start with the preparations. After a warm bath with lavender and other oils, I am dried and dressed in beautiful green gown with blue ribbons and a long cape that attached to my shoulder with golden clasps trailed behind. My hair is redone with cornets and a hairnet before a flower headdress with blue and green ribbons is placed upon my head. I'm fed wine and cheese while being prepared. As soon as it was time I am hurried along the hallways. I'm stopped momentarily so the ladies can attach my veil. They rush me into a carriage and ride along with me.

When we reach the church I'm told to wait until Alexander arrives and the ladies open the carriage doors. The boy holds out his hand and helps me down the steps and offers his arm. I take it as I flash him a smile and look at him through my lashes. "Thank you, my lord." I purr.

He blushes and smiles back at me. Everyone with stands about outside while the priest before us closes the gate to prevent entry.

"Are you both of age?" The priest asks.

"Yes." We reply.

"Do you both have parental consent?"

"Yes."

"Is it correct that you are not related in a way that will prevent you from a wedding in accordance with the law? That being having a common great great grandparent?"

"That is correct."

The dowry is read aloud and Alexander hands me a small bag of coins to be distributed to the was to symbolize his willingness to give me financial management on his behalf. Following, there's a short sermon on the steps, we say our vows, Alexander places a ring on my finger and I distribute the coins before the church doors are opened so all can enter. Everyone takes a seat and the prayers and mass begin.

The entire time we stand under a canopy of blue. The priest gives Alexander the kiss of peace which he turns to me. Blushing he presses a small kiss to my lips before quickly straightening. The blessing is pronounced and the service ends. Turning to face the doors which we entered, Alexander offers his arm and I take it. Coins are thrown over our heads as we walk down the aisle. Edric and William are posted at the doors and I glance at William before we step out into the light. One of the maids carry the back of my train as Alexander and I helped into our carriage. The doors are shut and we sit across from one another.

The entire ride, Alexander quietly sits looking out the window. His awkward stance making me feel a little of pity for him. Such an awkward boy. It's a little unfortunate I'll have to kill him.

As we reach the castle, the people of York stand around waiting to see their new Princess. Alexander gets out of the carriage first and offers his hand. Taking it I slowly climb out and take his arm. We walk up the stone steps and into the great hall where we walk up before the King and Queen. The king announces the feast and festivities. The music starts to play as we are ushered over to the large table. The wedding feast is a very lavish affair with many specialty dishes. This included 406 loaves, 250 eggs, 100 pounds of cheese, two quarters of oxen, 16 of mutton, 37 capons, 11 chickens, 2 boars heads and feet for jelly, roasted pigeons and waterfowl. To drink there was local provincial wines and Chianti imported from Tuscani.

People laughed, eat, and danced through the event. Alexander called for Edric to bring him his jeweled goblet which he drank rather quickly. Gifts were presented to us and I could see Alexander looking more and more pale by the hour.

"Are you alright, dearest?" I ask with mock concern. "You're looking a bit pale." I frown for effect. He draws a deep breath and slowly shakes his head.

"I'm not feeling very well. I think I should go lie down for a spell…" He says as he starts to rise. I touch his arm and he looks at me.

"Just a little longer?" I plead. "Soon we'll address the people and then you can retire to the bed chamber for the rest of the night."  
Sighing he nods. "I guess I can wait a while longer." He lowers himself back down onto his seat and I smile. The time passes until I help Alexander up and we walk out of area to the door to the staircase leading up the balcony. It takes a while which worries me that Edric gave him too much. We reach the top where two guards are standing near the doors. I guide him over to the little wall as we look our at the people of York.

Seeing their prince they cheer. He smiles and waves to them. "My people!" He says as the cheering dies down. "My new wife and I would like to thank you for being here today to celebrate in this grand occasion. Please enjoy the food and music in our honor!" The people cheer and he looks at me.

"Is there…anything you'd like to say?" He says with a weak smile. Now is the time.

Smiling I nod. I look at the expectant faces of the people of York. "Today marks a day! A day that will change life as you know it!"

Some people cheer while others look around dumbfounded. Alexander raises and eyebrow at me. "What do you mean?" He whispers.

I smirk and raise a fist in the air. "Vive les ombres!" I yell. Before he can react, I grab the jeweled sword from his belt and in one swift movement, decapitate him. I quickly drop the sword as Alexander's head rolls away, caught in a surprised expression. The people scream in horror as his headless body slumps to the ground and the guards behind me quickly grab me. Panicking, I squirm violently.

"Easy lass." I hear one of the guards say. Recognizing my husband's voice I stop for a moment while they haul me down the steps.

"Okay as soon as we reach outside the doors, I'll hold them off while you two make a break for it." I hear the other guard, Edric say. William agrees and we burst through the doors. As promised, Edric broke free and started hacking at the real guards while William pulled me by my arm with him. As we ran, an arrow whizzed back my head. William knocked over a few guards and sliced at them as they approached until we made it to the door leading outside. I unclasped my cape and through it at a guard, blinding him for a moment while we slipped through the door. I picked up my dress and ran alongside my husband but stumbled due to the length of the damn dress. William scooped me up into his arms and ran until we were far enough in the wood s where we lost them. Stopping, he set me down and leaned over as he tried to catch his breath. Finally he let out a laugh. He smiled at me before straightening.

"You were wonderful Lass!" He picked me up and spun me around laughing before setting me down with his hands on my side. "I love you so much." He says before presses a soft kiss to my lips. Wrapping my arms around his neck I kissed him back. Pulling away we rested our foreheads together and just smiled.


	2. Blood in the Mud

The sky is a dusty pink when we finally reach our camp. Lucia and Dyota are sitting next to a fire while Lucia pokes at the fire with a stick. She smirks at us. "Well there you two are. We were wondering what happened."  
William sets me down and I walk over to our little tent and change into a tunic and leggings.  
"Where's Edric?" I hear William ask.  
"Hunting." Lucia replies. "He left about an hour ago. He should be back soon."  
I change and sit by the fire and help Dyota with the stew when Edric walks back with rabbits slung over his shoulder. "I got food!" He beams. He and William skin the animals and start cooking it before putting it in the stew. William drops down onto the log next to me and I smile. He grabs my hand and presses soft kiss to my palm.  
"So how did it go?" Dyota asks as she spoons stew into wooden bowls.  
Wiliam glances at me. "It went perfectly."  
Edric laughs. "You should have seen the look on the boy's face when Eva grabbed his sword and swung at him!"  
"I think yelling 'Long Live the Shadows!' in French was a nice touch." Lucia grins at me. The light from the fire flickers basking us all in a orange glow. I smile back at her.  
"I thought it was fitting since I was passing myself off as French royalty." I giggle.  
"Well you did great Lass." William says. We eat our rabbit stew with some of the bread, cheese Edric managed to steal from the wedding feast along with some wine and jeweled goblets. After we eat, Edric and William recall the entire scene with theatrics making all of us laugh.  
Not too long after, we put out our fire and receded into our tents. I was the first inside mine and William's tent. I was fixing our blankets when William comes up behind me. He hugs me from behind and kisses my temple. "I have a small gift for you." He whispers. I turn around to face him, smiling.  
"Really? What is it?"  
He reaches into the pouch attached to his belt and holds it up. In the slight moonlight, I make out the moonstone and sapphire amulet. "Oh my…."I start to say as he hands it to me. I look at the jewelry in my hand in awe. "It's beautiful! Where did you get it?"  
"Let's just call it a…wedding present." He chuckles. I wrap my arms around his neck and run my hand through the hair on the back of his head before pressing my lips against his. His arms encircle me as he kisses back. I pull away for a moment catching my breath. "Help me put it on?" I whisper.  
"Of course." He says in a husky whisper. I hand the amulet to him and turn around. I hold my hair up as he drapes it around my neck and fumbles with the clasp. The warmth of his hand on my neck sends shivers down my spine. After fastening the necklace I feel his fingertips graze over my shoulders. On my right side, his hands slides the fabric off my shoulder. My breathing becomes ragged as a warmth rushes through me. I feel his breath near my neck, then his lips gently touch the sensitive part where my neck and shoulder meet. I close my eyes as his lips slowly move down my shoulder to my upper back. All the while, his hands have slipped down to undo my belt. It's tossed to the side and hand hands under my tunic. I turn around to face him. I'm pulled into the intense heat in his blue eyes. My lips find his and the heat I feel engulfs me. Before I know it, we're lying together beneath the blankets with our limbs tangled together. I let out a content sigh as I gentle run my fingers over his strong forearm as his arm is hooked under mine as he holds me. My back is to his chest and I feel the warmth of his breath on my neck.  
"I wish every night was like this…" I whisper into the darkness.  
I listen to his breathing and wonder if he's still awake when answers in a low whisper. "It can be, Lass."  
I shift slightly so I can look at him. "How?"  
"We can run away together." He grins.  
I frown. "We can't…. the Shadows Sanctuary is our home. This is our family."  
He moves a stray lock of hair from my face. "I know but….we can have a home to call our own." He smiles. "A little cottage where we can raise chickens, and cows." He pulls me closer. "Also…we can start a family of our own. Wake up every morning to the pitter-patter of wee ones."  
Just the idea made me smile. I could possibly be with child as we speak for all I know. "Is that what you want? A home and a family?" I ask softly.  
"It would be nice." He says with a smile. "But only if you want those things too." He rubs my arm and I cuddle closer.  
"I do…"  
"Then it's settled! When we get back home, we'll gather up our things, I'll grab the money I've been saving up and we'll go far away and start our lives together." He beams as he places a hand on my stomach. "Hopefully part of our new live is already started."  
I smile and give him a kiss. "I love you." I whisper.  
"I love you too, Lass."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Eager to get home, we woke up and have a quick breakfast before packing up and hitting the road. As we rode the slight misting we had had most of the journey became heavier and heavier until it was down pouring. Nonetheless, we rode on through a forest path only known to The Shadow Hunters as a quick route back to the Sanctuary.  
"The road is getting really muddy!" Lucia yells over the wind and sound of rain fall. "Maybe we should stop and wait for it to pass!"  
Suddenly an arrow whizzed past and struck into Edric's leg. He cries out and we all scan around us. All I can see is the green thickness of trees around us but any details were hard to see due to the rain. William draws his blade and the rest of us take his lead.  
"Who's there?" He bellows. "Who dares cross us?"  
Another arrow just barely whizzes past his cheek. It must have grazed his cheek since his hand flew up to his face. My heart rate accelerates as I try to look around again. I hear some murmuring and then there was silence. Dead silence with exception of the sound of rain fall. I hear Edric make a pained sound from in front of me as I guessed he pulled the arrow out of his leg.  
We waited for what seems like forever for any sign of our attackers. William looks around for a moment. His gaze stops at the forest and he dismounts his horse. He walks over to a section of trees and then the clashing of metal upon metal. Yells erupt from around us and people run out from the shadows.  
"It's an ambush!" I hear Edric yell. Sword in hand I quickly jump off my horse and run towards one of the figures before me. My sword blade meets theirs and they swing at my head and I duck, kicking them backwards. The stumble back and slice their side before pushing my blade right through them. They stop and fall down and I look around. The rain as lightened a little enough so I can see Lucia, Edric and Dyota fighting off people. No sign of William.  
I pull my sword out of the person's body just as another one immerges with a sword held over their head. He swings at me and I block it with my sword. He recoils and tries to hit me again from the side but I block each swipe. Angry, he pulls his arm back and stops mid swing with a surprised look on his face. I watch as a blade disappears back into his body and he topples over. I smile at Dyota as she appears from behind him, her blade coated in blood. "I've got your back, Sister."  
I nod and look around me once more looking for any sign of William. I find him a little ways off in a battle with one of the thugs. He's kicked in the stomach and sinks down. I start making my way towards him, slicing whoever comes at me in the process. The man kicks him in his side, yelling something I can't make out. Another kick and more yelling. William tries to reach his sword which is mere inches away from his hand.  
Jumping over bodies, I run up behind the man and slice open his arm. Crying out he turns to me. His gaze burning into me, he swipes at me and I block it.  
"Careful Lass!" William calls out.  
The guy swings again and knocks my sword out of my hand. My eyes widen as he steps toward me grinning evily. "Would you look at that…. Looks like you have no way to defend yourself! That's a pity. It really is." He raises his blade once more and I lightly move to my right and kick him square in the elbow. He stumbles slightly, gjiving William a chance to grab his sword slash him in the side. He cries out in pain before falling down. Rushing over to a bloodied and tired looking Will, I sheath my sword. "Will!" I say.  
"I'm fine." He says. "How are you, lass?"  
"I'm a fine. Not a scratch." I say making him smile. He sheaths his weapon and steps toward me, taking my face in his hands. "I'm so glad you're safe." Leaning my head toward his touch, I close my eyes for a moment.  
"When I saw you on the ground, I…" My lip quivers slightly. I didn't even want to think about what could have happened.  
"Oh Lass… Don't you…." He stops suddenly and I open my eyes.. His expression is stuck in a confused expression.  
"William?" I say. He doesn't respond and my heart rate quickens. "William? What's wrong?"  
He coughs slightly and his hands fall from my face.. "William!" I cry. He sinks to his knees as the thug pulls out his sword, coated in William's blood. Will slumps over and I look down in horror before turning to look at his assailant. "You." I hiss. He casually looks up at me and smirks,  
"Oops." He says.  
My adreniline fueled by grief and hatred, I unsheath my sword and battle it out. He just barely blocks every violent swing with a clang. I pause for a moment as he nix my arm. With all my might, I shift I swing my leg, catching him under his chin. He falls back and his head hit's a tree trunk with a sickening thud. He groans and his eyes flutter shut.  
I breath heavily glaring at him before glancing at Willam. My expression softens and I drop my sword. I sink down next to him and lay his head in my lap. Tears start to fall as I wipe the wet strands of hair that cover his eyes. "Will!" I sob.  
Blinking as water pours down on us, he looks around until he sees my face. His breathing comes in short, choppy breaths as he smiles. "There…ye are Lass." He says. He coughs and I shush him.  
"take it easy. You'll be fine. We'll get you cleaned and bandaged up." I say through the tears. "We'll go home and pack up just like you said."  
He raises a shaky hand to my face. "I don't…think that's going…to…happen, lass." He says. "I can already…hear…angels singing." He coughs and a few drops of blood come out but are quickly washed away in the rain. "It's beautiful….just…like you."  
I bow my head weeping. "Will…please don't leave me! We have plans!"  
He frowns slightly. "I…I know. But…" he coughs again, spewing more blood. "lass, listen…to me. Take the bag…of…gold in my…dresser."  
I shake my hear. "I can't!"  
"Take it…and go far…far away….make a new…life…for your…yourself." He continues. He moves his thumb across my cheek and smiles. "You deserve so…much more. I…I love you, lass."  
Tears blurred my vision and I closed them. "I love you too.." He coughs a bit more before his hand falls from my face and his unseering eyes gaze up at the falling rain. Buring my face in his chest I weep. How? How could this happen? This route was only know to the Shadow Hunters.  
I feel a hand on my shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Eva." I hear Dyota say. Lucia says something and Edric grunts in agreement. I slowly raise my head and look out into the forest. Something didn't add up. I cast a glance over at the man who killed my husband. He moved slightly and my eyes narrow. I gently lie will's head on muddy ground before leaning down. "I will find and kill who ever betrayed us, Will. I'll avenge you." I place a kiss on his lips. "I love you." I whisper before I rise to my feet.  
I take a deep breath. My clothing is soaked and caked with Will's blood and mud but I feel nothing. Nothing but the fiery hatred burning from deep within me. "Eva?" I hear from behind me. I ignore them as I stride over to the thug who's just coming to. He struggles to sit up and I pick up my sword from the mud, my gaze trained on him. I kick him back down into the mud and he coughs, a pained expression on his face.I keep my boot on his chest and push slightly. He wheezed. "You bastard." I seeth. I point the tip of my blade at the base of his thoat. "Who are you?" I bellow over the sound of rainfall. "Who sent you? This is an exclusive route only known to the Shadow Hunters."  
He coughed up some blood as he tried to laugh. "What's it matter?" He smirks.  
I push on his chest with my boot. "Talk."  
He coughs and wheezes some more so I kick him in the side. His face contorts into a pained expression. "Okay!" He coughed.  
I eased up slightly. "Who are you?" I demanded.  
"Nobody important. Just a vagrant from a small village near York."  
"Who sent you?" I hiss. "Who do you work for?"  
He coughs and then looking me straight in the eye, he smirks.  
As soon as he said the name, my knees felt weak and I felt as though I'd get sick. Our Shadow leader, our friend….He sent somebody to kill us!"  
The thrug started to laugh/ cough before I glared at him. With a cry, I lift up my sword and thrust it down into his heart. He whimpers as he looks up at me. I twist it and he lets out a pained cry before he just lies there in pain. I watch with clenched teeth as he takes his final breath before I pull my sword out.  
Dazed, I walk over to where my horse trotted over to. I mount and trot over to where Edric, Lucia and Dyota are standing. "Let's head home." I say.  
"Who the hell sent an ambush?" Dyota asks. "Did you ask him?"  
I look straight ahead of me and nod. "I did."  
"Well? Who is the bastard?" Edric fumes.  
Finally I look down at my Shadow siblings. "Our leader. Delvin Mallory."


	3. A New Leaf

Quick Shout Out to Graceaga for the reviews and suggestions. I really appreciate it. :)

I won't be able to change over night but I'll slowly try to improve with each chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

They look up at me in astonishment as I ride off ahead of the others hoping to catch the little traitor alone. All because of him, I lost the one person who means the world to me.

As I reach the sanctuary, I quickly dismount and draw my sword. Hot, searing hatred ran through me as I walk down the small stone stairs to the entryway. I look over in the direction of the doorway to Delvin's room and my eyes narrow. I silently advance into the room to find it empty with exception of a few books thrown haphazardly across the room. Probably to make it look like we had been ransacked. Clever Delvin.

I leave his room and cautiously make my way down the larger stone steps leading to the large activity area. Over to the left was the smithing area where we all learned to make our own armor and weapons. Straight ahead next to the small waterfall there are stone steps leading up to a little library that is connected to a hallway of rooms. To the far right is a hallway that leads to the armory, training center, torture chamber, and a spacious kitchen/dining area.

Although it is mostly open, I check behind the little pillars of the smithing area. Like Delvin's room, books, metal and equipment are all over. I move silently, listening to everything around me. Then I hear it. Over in the direction of the armory, I hear a tankard fall with a clank as it hits the stone floor. I leer at the doorway and silently make my way towards it.

I take cover to one side and slowly look in. The armory is lit up brightly and I see somebody's shadow in the doorway. Sticking to the shadows as I've been taught, I get near the doorway. The person seems to be muttering to himself until I hear another voice. Neither of them sounds like Delvin's voice. I strain to listen their hushed tones but am only able to make out some of it.

"What if they come back?" The first one says quietly. The shadow becomes larger as the guy moves further into the room towards the lighted torch.

"I doubt they will." The other one says. "Delvin said they would be dead and if any survived, they'd be too injured to make the trip back." The first one said something in response that I wasn't able to catch making the other one laugh. I clenched my fists.

I scan my environment around me. Not too far from me, I see Lucia's bow and a few arrows. I quickly glance inside the room and smirk as I see the small canister of highly flammable liquid that Edric concocted sitting on the table next to one of the guys. I sheath my sword and carefully inched my way towards the bow and grab it along with the few arrows.

Stepping back into the shadows, I tear a piece of fabric from my torn up tunic and tie it tightly to the end of one of the arrow. I light it with one of the torches nearby and aim at the canister. I take a breath and let the arrow go. It flies through the air and instead of igniting instantly it, the canister falls and crashes to the floor. The liquid spills and I curse under my breath.

"What was that?" The first guy asks.

"You idiot!" The second guy scolds. "You must have bumped into it! Be more careful!"

The first guy mutters something I can't make out and I let out a sigh of relief. Tying another piece of fabric from my tunic, I light it. I move out a little and see one of the guys standing in the liquid. This is too easy. When I shift, I also see he's looking at a sword hanging on the wall. I pull back my arrow and walk into the light. "Find anything you like?" I ask casually.

As soon as they see me they draw their swords. "I'd be careful if I were you." I say with a smirk. The guy standing in the newly spilled liquid advances toward me and I shoot my flaming arrow into the base of the puddle. It ignites and so does he. Screaming he runs around before dropping to the ground, rolling to put himself out. "I warned you." I muse. The other guy takes a step and I instantly draw another arrow and aim in at his head. "Go ahead. I dare you. I'll put an arrow right between your eyes quicker than you can raise your sword to strike me."

Frightened, he slowly lowers it. I grin as I keep my arrow aimed at him. "Good boy."

"Who are you?" He demands.

"That doesn't matter." I reply. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm not telling you." He retorts.

"Fine." I shoot slightly to the left and the arrow just barely grazes his ear and sticks into now empty, wooden weapon display. I grab my last arrow and aim it once more at his head.

"What the-" he exclaims before I cut him off.

"I'd start talking because my next arrow won't miss." I growl. "Now who are you?"

"Isaac…My name is Isaac Fynch." He says fearfully. "I'm a farmer from Elvedon."

"Alright Isaac. Where can I find Delvin?"

"I don't know." He frowns. I pull the string tighter.

"Liar!"

"I'm not lying!" He cries. "All I know is that he was heading towards Bradford."

I loosen up for a moment. "Bradford? What does he want in Bradford?"

The man shrugs. "Something about an old contact. I know nothing else, I swear!"

I stare him down for a moment. I had only been to Bradford once before with William but had forgotten the way since it had been so long ago. The thought of William makes my heart ache and tears threaten to fall. I push those thoughts away. "Do you know where Bradford is? Do you know the way to get there?" I ask.

He nods. "I do."

A long time ago, before I ever joined the shadows, there was an elder named Alwin Deyer who studied how to read a person. He wrote journals on it which I had to read when I was still training. Now I study Isaac for signs that he's lying. Everything from his tone to his body language shows he's telling the truth. I lower my weapon and can see the relief on his face.

"If I asked you to, would you take me to Bradford?" I ask. He looks away to his left which signals thought. As he does this I open a small pouch on my belt and dip the tip of my arrow in it before getting it ready if he decides to attack. I see him glance down at his accomplice who lies still on the ground. Whatever skin is showing is red and starting to blister.

"Is he dead?" He asks carefully.

"Yes." I say impatiently. "And you will be too if you don't answer me."

He slowly nods without taking his eyes off the burnt man. "Good." I nod. I raise my bow and before he can react, I shoot him right above the heart.

As he collapses to the ground, I slowly put my bow off to the side and pull the arrow out before I drag him to one of the vacant rooms. I place him on the bed and look at him for a moment. In the glowing light he looked kind of boyish. Like a teenager just on the brink of becoming a man. His hair is a light brownish blonde color and sticks up near the back. Brown stubble is just starting to grow along his jaw line. I leave the room and lock door from the outside.

Going back to the armory, I grab a quiver of arrows and the bow before checking the rest of the sanctuary just in case. I find nobody and make my way back to the entry to wait for the others.

Before long, they arrive and find me sitting on one of the little stone benches near Delvin's room. They gather around me. "Where's William?" I ask. "Is he still where we left him?"

Edric shakes his head. "No. He's outside. We would have brought him in here but we wanted to give you some time first." Swallowing back the tears that threatened to form, I nod. "Thank you."

"So, did you find the little snake?" Lucia asks.

I shake my head solemnly. "No. There were two men here rifling through the armory. I killed one and the other is unconscious and locked in one of the rooms."

"You kept one of them alive?" Lucia hisses. "Why did you do that?"

"Because he's worth more to me alive than he is dead!" I snap. Lucia glares at me because of my disrespect but at the moment, I could care less. "I'm cold, wet, distraught, and covered in mud and my husband's blood." I say tersely as I look at the ground. "I am in no mood to discuss my actions nor my agenda right now." I look up and meet her gaze which has softened slightly with sympathy. "Now if you'll excuse me… I need to ready my husband for his funeral which will be held tonight."

"I'll help you bring him inside." Edric offers quietly.

"And I'll get everything we need and meet you in the dining hall." Dyota adds. I nod and Lucia turns quickly away and heads down the hallway. I glance once more at her before following Edric outside.

William was brought in by Edric and laid upon the large table. Stripped naked with a sheet covering his lower half, I look down at him and tears prickle my eyes. Dyota was nearby with a bucket of water and a rag to clean him up. The muddy blood soaked clothes we cut off him are lying on the ground off to the side.

"Eva?" Dyota says softly. "Are you alright?"

I nod absently. "Yes…" I hold my hand out for the cloth and she hands it to me. "If you wouldn't mind, I want to be alone for this." I say. Honestly, as much as I appreciate the support, I want to be alone when I finally broke down and let the tears fall freely.

"Of course, Sister. I'll go help Edric with the pyre."

She leaves me and I dip the cloth into the water and ring it out a little before I start to clean him up. It's unusual to see the man I saw only hours ago so full of color and life now pale and stiff. I clean the mud off his face and my lip quivers. I wish he would just open his eyes and sit up like nothing happened but I knew that wasn't possible. He's gone.

I clean him up the best I can and dress him in his best clothes before Dyota helps me silently wrap him a large white winding sheet and Edric helps us carry him outside and place him on the pyre. I have no idea where Lucia is and don't really care. I do hope that she shows up before we light the pyre. Even if she is upset with me for keeping one of the men alive, she should still show William the respect he deserves as her friend.

Luckily, Lucia does show up and places on the pyre, William's leather armor and dagger along with other items and flowers. Before we start, I walk over to the covered body and uncover his face. I just needed to see his face one last time before it's gone forever. "I won't let your death be in vain." I whisper as I run my hand through his hair. "I promise you that Delvin will pay for what he's done." My lip quivers and tears well up in my eyes. I lean closer to him. "I'll see you in the afterlife…" I kiss his forehead, his skin cold and clammy against my lips. I pull away. "I love you, Will." I whisper before I recover his head with the sheet. I take a deep breath before turning to Edric and nod.

We gather around the pyre and Edric lights the torch. He holds it out to me. "Here. Since he was your husband, I think you should lead us."

I nod and take the torch and hold it up. "Before the ancient flame, we grieve."

"We grieve." The other three repeat together.

"At this loss, we weep." I say quickly as my throat tightens with the urge to cry.

"We weep." They repeat.

"For the fallen, we shout." My voice wavers slightly.

"We shout!"

"And for ourselves…" I say.

"We take our leave." We all say together. Finally I light the pyre and stand back as we watch as my husband's body is soon engulfed with flames.

After the funeral, all three of them offer me condolences before starting to head inside the sanctuary. I stay where I am and watch the flames and hear the crackling and popping of the wood. I feel a hand on my shoulder, and look over at Edric. "Come on. You need to get cleaned up and eat. It'll do you some good."

"I'll be right there. I just want a few moments alone first." He gives me a sympathetic look. "Closure."

"Alright. I'll see you in there."

He leaves me there as the sun starts to set and the flames almost match the sky. I sit down on the ground and pull my knees up to my chest and weep.

When I finally was able to pull myself together, the flames were dying. Weak from all the emotions that just poured out of me, I slowly get up. I enter the warm glow within the sanctuary and make my way to the dining hall. Everyone is at the table talking when I walk up. Dyota passes me a wooden bowl with some type of porridge and some bread with a goblet of ale. I look down at it and frown. "I'm not really hungry." I say picking it up.

"Where are you taking it then? To your man?" Lucia comments starkly.

Instantly I draw my sword and put the tip to the base of her throat. She glares at me, unflinching. Dyota and Edric stood up and silently watch, their hands on their own swords just in case.

"Lucia, you're trying my patience!" I yell. Tears threaten to fall but I keep my composure. "We may be Shadow sisters but that doesn't mean I won't hesitate to slice you from your throat to your navel."

"Lucia!" Dyota, always the peacemaker, hisses. "Apologize!"

"Fine. Sorry." She says flatly.

I sheath my sword and turn on my heel taking the food to Isaac.

A I reach the room, I cautiously unlock the door and peer inside. Isaac sits on the bed and I open the door. He looks up at me and moves back slightly. "You! You shot me!"

I casually walk over and set the food down on the bed. "I brought you some food." His eyes stay trained on me. "Why did you shoot me?! I agreed to lead you to Bradford!"

I lean against the small end table and cross my arms over my chest. "Relax, it was a poisoned arrow to-"

"You poisoned me?!" He exclaims.

"Hey! If you'd let me finish…" I snap. "it was just to subdue you temporarily." I look down for a moment. "I needed some time. I had some things to deal with and I needed you out of the way." I look back up and look him straight in the eye. I expected to see some regular old brown eyes but instead they are a dark blue like a stormy sea. I'm slightly taken back and it takes a moment for me to remember what I was saying. "Besides, you're alive aren't you?" I ask. "I could have easily killed you. You should be thankful for my mercy."

He rolls his eyes. "I guess… well thank you. For letting me live and…" He looks down at the plate hungrily. "for the food. I appreciate it."

"Yeah…" I say flatly. "By the way… we're going to leave at first morning's light. Understand?"

He pauses a moment, his mouth full of food and nods. "Good." I say. "Well then… rest up and I'll see you when it's time."

As I leave the room, I turn to see Edric standing next to the door. "What?" I ask.

"Dyota called a meeting. We have a lot to discuss."

"Do we have to do it right now?" I ask. "I have things to do."

"Please?" He says with a smile.

"Fine." I sigh. I follow him to the library and take a seat at the little table. Lucia and Dyota are already there and Dyota motions for Lucia and Edric to take a seat. "I called this meeting for a number of reasons." She starts. "First starts with the final will and testament of our Shadow Brother, William." That got my attention. My head shot up and Dyota handed a paper to Edric. He stood before us and cleared his throat. "I, William Hastings, leave all my possessions including my money, sword and horse to my lovely wife, Eva Hastings." Staring down at the table before me, hear nothing afterwards as the night we spent before replays in my mind. I finally come to near the end where William asks Edric to give me a letter from him. I silently take the envelope from him and just look at it.

"Eva?" Dyota says as she touches my arm. "Are you okay?"

I nod and they continue. "Next, the Shadows have never been without a leader and we aren't about to start now. It's time to select a new leader…"

"I'm leaving." I suddenly say. They all look at me and I raise my head.

"What do you mean?" Edric frowns. "We were actually thinking about making you the new leader."

I shake my head. "No. I don't want it. I don't want this life anymore." My eyes start to water and I continue. "Last night, William promised me that when we came home, we were going leave and start new. We wanted a home of our own… we wanted children…" My voice caught and I looked down. I take a few breaths and continue. "Before he died in my arms, he told me he wanted me to go on and live a better life. I promised him I would make a new life for myself and I'm not going to break that promise."

"So… what's the guy you left alive for?" Lucia asks.

I look at her. "It's for my revenge. He told me that Delvin went to Bradford to meet with a contact. He is going to lead me to Bradford and when I find Delvin… I'm going to kill him and avenge Will."

"So it's personal now?" Lucia sneers. "What about the rest of us? He betrayed all of us!"

I stare daggers at her. "It is personal! Yeah he betrayed us all but now because of him, my husband is dead!" A fear tears fall and I let them. I look at Dyota. "I'm sorry to do that but I have to do it."

There's silence for what seems like forever until Edric speaks. "When are you leaving?" He asks quietly.

"At first morning's light. It's a long journey and I want to make it at least near Blyth before making camp for the night."

Everyone is dead silent for a while and I stand. "If you'll excuse me, I need to start making preparations for my departure. I wait a moment to see if anyone will say anything. When they don't I start making my way towards mine and William's room. Now with Will gone, the room had this empty feeling. I walk over to his dresser and open it. I move my hand over his clothes and swallow back the tears as I move some of them aside. Nothing. No bag of coins as William said. Frowning, I remove all his clothes and from the dresser and search the drawers to still find nothing.

I'm about to give up when I notice how the top drawer has a small hole on the inside near the side. I kneel and look underneath but see no hole and smile. There's a false bottom. Standing, I hook my finger in the little opening and pull it up. Inside the small compartment, there's not one but three bags of coins. I look at them in disbelief, How did he save up so much and keep it from me? Tears welled up again as I remember that this was the money he saved up for life together. I wipe the tears away with the back of my hand and grab the coins. I grab his satchel from pile on the bed and put the money inside and begin to pack.

After I got most of our things packed, I fell asleep on our bed, gripping one of Will's tunics. I wake up close to dawn the next day and start preparing the horses. When I come back inside to fetch Isaac, I'm surprised to find all three of my shadow siblings waiting for me.

"Is everything okay?" I cautiously ask them.

Dyota steps forward. "We had a discussion last night when you were packing." she says. "And we don't care if you don't want to be here and live this lifestyle. You'll always be welcome here and you will always be our shadow sister."

I smile slightly. "Thanks you guys."

"Here." Edric says as he holds out a pack. "We packed you some food, coin, drink and some other stuff." I take it from him and he pulls me into a hug. "We're going to miss you, Eva." he says.

"I'll miss you all too." I say hugging him back. We separate and it's Dyota's turn.

'Always walk in the shadows, Sister." She says.

"You as well." I reply. She lets me go and Lucia steps forward. Her eyes are red and a bit puffy so I know she's been crying.

'I'm so sorry about everything I said last night. I guess losing William made an impact on me as well." I see her bottom lip starts to quiver and I pull her into a hug. "Please forgive me." She whispers.

"I forgive you." I whisper back. "And please forgive me for threatening to kill you."

I surprise myself as I chuckle a little as I said that. We pull away and she chuckles as well, wiping the tears away. "It's alright. We're assassins. It's what we do best."

I nod and quickly turn away before the tears have a chance to fall and stride down the hall to Isaac's room. I quickly knock on the door and wait for a response. The door opens and he peeks out. "Time to go?" He asks. I nod and he opens the door fully. We walk along side each other until we're outside and I motion towards the one on my right. "You can take this one. His name is Shadow. You can ride him until we get to Bradford." He mounts the horse and watch him as his gets settled. "Also if you try to ride off and leave me stranded, you'll get an arrow to the back and a sword through your chest. Understood?"

He looks over at me and nods. "Understood."

"Good. Then-"

I stop mid sentence as Edric suddenly appears by my side. He holds up a sword and I raise an eyebrow. "Will's sword." I silently take it just look at it for a moment. "Be safe, Sister." He says before he turns away and leaves. I put the sword with our other things and look over at Isaac. "Lead the way."


	4. I Want You To Suffer

We ride for hours in silence until the sun is high in the sky. Growing weary in the heat, I start to slow down. Isaac notices my change in speed and does the same. "Everything alright?" He asks.

"Yes. Let's take a quick break. I hear water not to far from here. We'll rest in the shade for a while and eat something then we'll be back on the road.."

Not too long after we come up to a small stream and dismount our horses and hitch them up to a low branch. I kneel by the water and cast a quick glance at Isaac. His eyes are closed as he sits beneath the tree with his back against the trunk. I dip my hand into the cool water and splash some on my face. I allow myself to close my eyes for a brief moment as I enjoy the refreshing coolness on my skin. I dig into my pack and fill two brass canteens and toss one to Isaac. He mutters a thank you and takes a drink. I take a sip of mine as well before digging out a small loaf of bread and a couple apples from the sack Edric handed me. I walk over to Isaac and hand him an apple. "How far do you think we can make it by sun down?" I ask, taking a seat next to him. He accepts the apple and takes a huge bite from it and chews thoughtfully for a moment.

"I believe we're not too far from Ollerton. We should be there within an hour or two." He replies before taking another bite. I wait as he chews for a moment before continuing. "By sundown, I believe we can make it to just outside Worksop."

"Good." I nod. I bite into my apple and set it on my lap as I break the bread in half and hand one half to Isaac. He thanks me and instead of shoving it into his mouth like I expected he just looks at it.

"Can I ask you a question?" He asks. My hand freezes halfway as I'm about to bite into my apple.

"That depends….what does it have to do with?" I ask cautiously.

"Your group." I remain silent and he continues. "This morning I saw only three of your people. Where are the others? Is that all of you?"

I close my eyes for a moment as I think about Delvin and Will. "Why do you want to know?"

Hearing nothing I open my eyes and look at him. Mouth full, he shrugs.

"Tell me." I demand.

He swallows and shrugs again. "I don't know. Would it matter what I hear? After Bradford, you're probably going to kill me anyways. Why not indulge me until then?" He offers me a smile and I look away.

"Right now, it's just them. There used to be more of them but…"

"But what?" He asks. "Did they die? Left like you did?"

I look down at my hands. "They died."

"What happened?" He presses.

I look over at him. "You're very nosey, you know that?" I snap.

He shrugs, "I'm just curious…."

Sighing I look away. "if you must know there was a fire. It was a little before I joined. At the old sanctuary, there was this explosion and then a fire. Everybody except for the three you saw and two others made it out alive. The rest were trapped inside and either burned alive or suffocated."

Isaac shakes his head sympathetically. "That's horrible."

"It is." I reply quietly. "After so many lives were lost, they couldn't stand going back so they moved to an abandoned sanctuary, owned by the once fearsome Dark Order. They cleaned it up and built it to the Shadow Hunter's headquarters you see today."

"Wow." He breathes. We eat in silence for a while until I jump up and dust myself off.

"I think we should start heading back out." I say. "Especially if we want to make it to Worksop by sundown."

Isaac scrambles to his feet and puts his canteen in his small satchel I gave him. We mount our horses and I signal for him to lead. Mid-ride, I trot up along side him and look at him. "It's my turn to indulge my curiosity. Where are you from again?"

"Elvedon."

"I've never heard of it." I say. "I hope for your sake you're not trying to lie to me."

He surprises me by smiling. "You wouldn't. My entire village was burnt down by bandits several years ago. I've been vagrant ever since, taking jobs wherever I can to pay for my next meal."

"You told me you were a farmer." I point out.

"I was before the attack." he looks over at me. "not only did I lose my home and land but I also lost my wife and child." He tells me. "My wife was raped and killed right in front of me while carrying my unborn child."

I quickly looked away at the path ahead of us. "I'm so sorry for your loss." I say quietly. My own grief hits me like a ton of bricks and I feel like I'm going to be sick.

"My wife was a good woman." He says thoughtfully. "We were married for less than a year when it happened."

"And how did you deal with it?" I ask, still looking away.

He shrugs. "For the first few years I tried to drink away my sorrows. I got banned from too many places to count." He lets out a sigh. "My lowest moment was when I was dirty and smelly after not bathing for 2 years and had just gotten thrown out of a bar. I landed face first into the mud and just laid there. It was pouring outside but I didn't care. I was so miserable. I just wanted to die. To be reunited with my wife."

I take a moment to let this all soak in before responding. "What changed?"

"Well, as I laid face first in the mud, getting soaked by the rain, I realized how ashamed my wife would be if she were alive. She was always one to look at the bright side of things." He glances over at me. "It made me realize that I can't spend everyday moping around over what happened. As hard as it is, I have to accept it and use that as a reason to live my life. Live is too short to sit around wallowing in self pity."

As he spoke those words, I realized how right he was. Sure, Will was gone, but that doesn't mean I have to stop living my life. I felt a feeling of longing at the thought of Will but pushed it aside. As much as the loss hurts, I have a mission that needs my full focus.

"May I ask something?" Isaac asks, cutting through my thoughts. I look over at him and wait.

"So...who is Will?" He asks. "The man at the Sancuary handed you a sword and told you it was Will's. Was he your leader or something?"

I look ahead of us at the road and take a deep breath to calm whatever emotions threatened to emerge. "Will was my husband. He was killed just last night before I rode back to the Sancuary to find you and your...friend."

Looking down, he shakes his head. "He wasn't a friend. I barely knew the man." He looks up at the road ahead of us and sighs before turning to look at me. "I'm sorry about your husband but like I said, don't let it get you down so much that you want to end your life. Live your life to the fullest. I'm sure that's what Will would have wanted."

All I'm able to do is nod in response as I try to keep the tears at bay.

As promised, we make it just outside of Worksop as the sun is starting to set. Isaac is about to dismount to start making camp when I stop him. "Wait..."

He stops and waits for a moment. "What is it?"

"Do you hear that?" We stand still and I hear it again, faintly.

"People?" He guesses.

I turn my head so my ear is facing in the direction I heard it the first time and I hear it again. "It's coming from that direction." I motion off to the right. "Let's go."

The closer we get, the louder the voices become. Not to far ahead of us we see the orange glow of a campfire. I turn to look at Isaac and signal for him to be quiet and dismount. He nods and we silently dismount and hitch our horses before quietly walk make our ay towards them. We hide behind a large tree right next to the camp

"You know, I bet that weakling Isaac has gotten killed by now." One man snickers. Isaac's face contorted and he was about to walk into the camp when I stopped him. I shake my head. "Not yet." I whisper. I sneak a peek at one of the guys who's dressed in peasant clothes.

"Not unless Cristian killed him. He was one of the guys sent to loot the Sancuary." He says. He suddenly frowns. "Speaking of which, he should have been back hours ago... You don't think-"

"Of course not!" The first guy, a bulky bald man with a large scar on his cheek says. "Delvin told us before they left that none of the assassins would be alive after the ambush. If anybody actually did survive, they'd be in no shape to make it back to where Cristian and Isaac were at!"

Another guy sitting on a log over by the tents stood up. "Maybe we should send somebody to go back there and see where they are."

"No." The bald guy growls. "Delvin gave us strict orders to stay here while we wait for word of the Hunters demise before meeting up with Giles. And until then..." Suddenly he grins. "We can just enjoy our current accomidations. Isn't that right, my sweets?"

He turns and that's when I see them. Four women sit, gagged and tied to the base of a tree. They look at him in fear. I turn to look at Isaac who's gaze is trained on the women. "Isaac." I whisper but his gaze never wavers from the women.

"Those bastards." he says quietly.

"Isaac, Do you know these people?" His hands are balled up into fists at his sides as he nods. "Do you know who Giles is?"

"No. They never told me anything except what I told you about Delvin going to see a contact in Bradford."

I nod and look back at the guys. "We need to ambush these guys and find out more about this Giles guy."

He nods and I look back over to the bald guy and see that he's kneeled down next to one of the women. He tries to kiss her but she moves her head to the side. "Come on honey...give me some..." He says as he leans with one hand on the trunk and the other creeps up the woman's skirt. I quickly grab my bow and aim at his hand on the trunk. The woman moves against her restrains to try and get away from him. I shoot the arrow and it hits the tree right between his fingers.

"What the hell!" I hear the guy near the tents exclaim. We hear the sound of swords getting unsheathed and I look at Isaac who gives me a confused look. "Get ready." I smirk. "I have an idea."

He unsheathes his sword I gave him in Ollerton and nods.

"Show yourself!" The bald guy roars. "Come out of the shadows you coward!"

"Put your sword away. You're going to act as my prisoner." I whisper.

"Oh, so basically I'm not really acting." He replies.

I glare at him. "Would you rather be dead?"

"Not right now, no."

"Exactly. Now turn around." He does as he's told and I use my dagger to cut a strip off his tunic and tie his hands behind his back. "It's not very tight so you'll be able to get out easily." I whisper. "Now come on." I nudge him forward and to make an entrance, I kick him forward sending him face first into the dirt as I step into the light. All the men look down at Isaac and then quickly look at me, their swords drawn.

"I really hope this isn't the Isaac you were all refering to." I say casually. "As you can see, he's still very much alive." I tap him with my foot and he turns to glare at me. "Well, for now he is." Ignoring him, I stare the guys down.

"Go ahead. Kill him." The one who offered the search party growls. "He's no use to us."

"Oh really?" I chuckle. "Not to long ago you were offering a search party for him."

"Yeah, we needed to get the loot!" He exclaims. "We were going to kill him afterwards anyways!"

"Who the hell are you?" The bald one demands.

I give him a small smile. "That doesn't matter. What does matter is this Giles guy is? Who is he and what does he have to do with Delvin?"

"None of your business you little twat!" He exclaims.

"Ooh. Wrong answer, baldy." In an instand I grab my bow and shoot an arrow in his knee. He falls over in pain and the other two advance towards me. "Now Isaac!"

Isaac breaks his bonds and rises. He wipes the dirt off his face and unsheaths his sword. The other two stop for a moment as he stands ready. They look between us in disbelief and confusion.

"You little traitor!" Baldy yells. He looks over at his men. "What are you waiting for you idiots?! Kill them!"

They charge at us and I quickly switch to my sword. Metal clashes upon metal as our swords collide. We go back and forth until I swing to my left making the sword fly out of his hand. I smirk as he looks around worried. As I advance on him, he walks back until he trips over a pack. He falls back and frantically looks around for his sword when I point my sword at the base of his throat. "I wouldn't try anything if I were you." He looks up at me in terror and I smirk.

I hear somebody let out pained cry and look over at Isaac. He's standing over his guy, pushing the tip of his sword into the man's abdomen. "Isaac!" I call. He looks at me and I feel my arm get pushed away. My sword fall out of my hand as I turn to face my attacker. I see his fist come at me and I quickly grab his hand and twist it behind his back before pressing my dagger against his neck. "Nice try." I say.

Holding his guy down with his foot, Isaac looks over at me. "You okay?" He asks. I nod.

"Grab that rope over there," I say pointing to the rope next to one of the tents with my chin. "Let's tie these assholes up and go from there."

Nodding, he kicks his guy in the side before sheathing his sword and grabbing the rope. We tie the three men together to a tree and Isaac pulls me aside. "What about the women?" He asks. "Should we set them free?"

I glance over at the women and shake my head. "Not yet." He frowns. "We will but I want to question the guys first. Afterwards we can release the women and ask them if they overheard anything." I explain. He nods and we stroll back over to the guys and I grin as I sheath my sword and grab my bow.

"So guys, let's play a little game, shall we?" They glare at me and I continue. "This game is called tell me what I want to know and I won't kill you." I smile and Isaac gives me a look but I ignore him.

"We're not telling you anything." The bald one growls as he spits at me. It lands on my shoe and I glare at him.

"Wrong answer." I shoot an arrow right next to his head. and he cringes while the other two look at me wide eyed.

"You're crazy!" One of them exclaims.

"Come on guys." I chuckle. "I just want some information on Delvin and who Giles is. You tell me and I'll let you go."

Baldy glares at me. "No. We won't talk."

I shrug and shoot another arrow, this time right between his legs just below his private parts. "I'd tell me if I were you..." I say. "My next shot won't miss."

"Fine! Delvin hired us to kill off the Shadow Hunters." The guy on Baldy's right says earning a glare from Baldy.

I get another arrow ready just in case. "And who is Giles? Where were you supposed to meet him?"

"Shut up!" Baldy hisses. I shoot an arrow that just barely scrapes his nose as he looks over at his guy. His eyes widen.

"Shut it, Baldy." I say. "Now talk!"

"We were supposed to meet him at the Silverblood Tavern in Barnsley with news that we wiped out the Shadow Hunters so he can pay us and report back to Delvin." The guy says.

I frown. "So Giles is Delvin's main guy? He knows where Delvin will be?" He nods and I look at Isaac. "I think we got all the information we need, don't you think?"

"I think so." he nods.

I smile at the 3 guys. "Good. We can kill them now."

"What?!" They exclaim at once.

"You told us that you'd let us go if we told you what you wanted to know!" Oone of them exclaimed.

"I lied." I shrug. Baldy started to spew out insults and names and I roll my eyes. Casually I grab an arrow out of my from my quiver and shoot him right in the throat. Blood pours out as he makes choking noises. One of the women scream and the other two men, move against their restraints.

"Who the hell are you?" One of them cry out.

I grab another arrow and aim it for his heart. "Let's just say, you all would have died anyways since you failed to kill off the Shadow Hunters." I let it go and it pierces his heart. I turn to the last guy and smile. "Now, I never like to kill people in a group the way twice so, how would you like to die?"

He tries to look tough but fails horribly. "Sword."

"Sword? No, that's much too merciful for somebody like you." I sneer. "I have a better idea."

putting my bow over my shoulder, I take out my dagger. I move the ropes a little so I have access to his abdomen and lift his tunic. I plunge my dagger right below his sternum. I grin as he cried out in pain. "Oh, did that hurt?" I ask. He says nothing so I slowly pull it down , exposing his innards. The women scream again and look away. He coughs and some blood splatters on my cheek. I lean forward lightly, and sneer, "Now it's time for you to suffer."

Stepping away, I instruct Isaac to loot the camp and bring what we find back to the horses. "what about the women?" He asks.

I look over at them and see most of them are looking at me, terrified. "Just loot and pack. I'll handle the women."

He frowns slightly but walks away to do as he's told. I walk over to the women and can see them pushing themselves back into the trunk to get away from me. "Ladies, you are now free." I say.

"You're a monster!" One of the women say. I look at her and she retreats but quickly recovers.

"I just save you all and yet I'm the monster?" I ask.

"You killed them!" She replies. "You're no better than them."

I look away and take a deep breath. "There's more to this than you see... these men..." Thinking of Will, my breath catches. "It's because of people like this, that my husband is dead." I look up at them. "These," I point at the guys. "Are the real monsters. Not me. You should be thanking me right now."

I pull out my dagger and step towards them. One woman screams and I shush her. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm letting you go." I cut the ropes and they just stand there, unsure of what to do.

"Go ahead. You're free. Go home to your families."

Some thank me and run away joyfully except one. I look at her. "You're fee to go." I say flatly.

"I know but... I wanted to thank you."

"yeah..." I say.

"I heard you say something about the guy, Giles?"

I nod. "Yes. Do you know him?"

She shakes her head. "No, but he came to my father's shop in Worksop. He requested a blade for a client." She explains. "My father is a blacksmith."

"Yeah, I figured as much." I say impatiently. "Have you ever seen him?"

"Yes. He's a little taller than you with brown skin, long, curly black hair and a goatee." She explains.

"Thank you." I say.

Smiling, she nods. "Of course. I'm sorry to hear about your husband." I nod and she says goodbye before disappearing into the woods. Finally, we have a lead.

* * *

_**A/N: Graceaga, I hope this explained a little on what happened to the Shadow Hunters and gave you a better look at Eva and Isaac. :) I also explained a few things in a message. Hope you liked it! :) As always, thanks for reading and reviewing!**_


	5. Wanted

_**A/N: Well I finally mention Robin and his gang. It's brief but I hope it does them justice!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

I return to the horses after the woman leaves and find Isaac still packing what he found. Hearing footsteps behind him, he stops what he's doing and draws his sword. He turns around to face me with his sword raised. "Easy." I say putting my hands up. "It's just me."

Relief passes over his face and he lowers and sheaths his sword. "Sorry. You never know who's out to get you at this time of the day in the woods."

"It's fine. Got everything?"

He nods. "We made out pretty well too." He grins. "Couple bags of coins, some food and even a nice bow with a quiver of arrows!"

"Good." I smile. "How good are you with a bow?"

His face reddens slightly. "Well... I never really shot one." I frown and he quickly adds. "But...I'm a real quick learner. You can teach me and I can help hunt and...and...and I help with interrogations!"

"I don't know about that..." I unhitch my horse and start to walk it back to the road. Isaac mimicks and walks his horse as well.

"Come on! What harm can come from it?" I roll my eyes and shake my head. "I'll think about it."

He grumbles in response but remains quiet until we get back to the road. "So what's the plan?" He finally asks.

"We make camp tonight and then in the morning we head into town and pay a little visit to the blacksmith."

He gives me a confused look. "The blacksmith? What for?"

"One of the women stopped to thank me and said that her father, the blacksmith in Worksop made a special order for Giles. I figured we stop in and see what he knows about him."

"I see." He says nothing for an extended period of time before speaking again. "So why didn't we just camp out at the bandits camp? They already had a fire and tents."

I shake my head. "Too risky. There's two much blood from the men and it would attract animals."

"Yeah, that's true..."

We find a spot to set up our little camp and sit down in front of the fire. We eat some of the salted meat that we got from the bandits before putting out the fire and going to sleep.

* * *

We wake up the next morning and pack up our things and get ready to go into town. "So have you worked in Worksop before?" I ask.

He gives me a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"I mean have you done any thievery or killing in town? Are you wanted?" He shakes his head and I nod. "Good."

"Wait... are you?" He asks as I put on my shroud. I grin at him and cover up my nose and mouth. His jaw drops and he looks at me in awe.

"What did you do?" He asks. "How bad is it?"

I smile. "Have you ever been to York?"

"No... not recently. I heard somebody murdered the Prince in front of the entire kingdom!" He crosses his arms over his chest. "Why?"

"Think about it. I'm an ex Shadow Hunter and I'm wanted.."

His eyes widen in realization. "You? You're the one that killed the prince of York?"

I nod. "Yes. Now hurry up and get ready. We don't have all the time in the world. We have a blacksmith to visit."

He was about to argue but kept quiet as I gave him a look to not question me. He quickly puts on his cloak and nods to signal he's ready. We mount our horses and ride into town. Once inside, I keep my eyes looking forward to avoid seeing the couples and children all around me. We leave our horses at the stable, using some of the money we took from the bandits to pay for it. Isaac follows me through the marketplace to the far end where we hear the pounding of metal. Reaching the forge, we see a large man with brown hair streaked with grey hitting a long piece of heated metal with a hammer. As we come near him, I clear my throat. The man stops for a moment and looks up. "Yes? Can I help you?" He asks, wiping some sweat from his forehead.

"I have some questions about a sword you made a while back for a man named Giles." I say. Putting the metal into the forge, he sets his hammer down on his anvil and studies me for a moment.

"And what is your business with this information?" He asks.

"Nothing that would concern you." I reply, tersely. "Now answer the question."

The man straightens and crosses his arms over his chest. "I have no information regarding the person you spoke of."

Getting more annoyed by the moment, I'm about to snap at him when his daughter walks into the room.

"Father, your food is ready." She says, not noticing us.

He looks at her and I see him relax. "Alright, dear, I'll be in there in a moment. I'm dealing with something right now."

She frowns and looks over at me then Isaac. Isaac smiles and waves. "I gave you the answer, now leave before I call the guards." Her father warns.

"Not until you tell us what we want to know!" I snap.

The man steps forward and his daughter holds him back. "It's them!" She hisses. "These are the two I told you about. They saved my life!"

He gives her a confused look. "Are you sure?"

"Yes! I think I'd know my saviors when I see them." She says walking over to us. "Please excuse my father. He can get a bit defensive at times..."

"Obviously." I mutter.

"Please accept our apology and join us for breakfast." She offers us with a smile. "We'll tell you anything you want to know."

I look over at Isaac who is beaming at the woman. "Sounds great!"

"Great! Just follow me." She smiles before walking up the staircase off in the corner.

We sit around their table and the woman sets a few plates of food in front of us. Isaac eyes it hungrily. "So, um, we didn't really catch your name." He says looking up at her.

"My name is Sabine." She says. " And this is my father, Theo."

"Nice to meet you both." Isaac says with a smile. Theo smiles back at him before looking back at me.

"And you as well." He says. "So what's your name?"

"I'm Isaac and this," He says pointing to me. "Is my companion..." He cuts off and looks at me, waiting for me to answer.

"Eva." I reply.

"Nice to meet you, Eva." he nods. "I hope I didn't offend you too badly."

"No. Now your daughter told me that you recently had a request for a man named Giles." I say. "Do you remember what he said about his client?"

He looks away in thought for a moment. "I recall him saying something about the sword being a tribute of some sort..."

My gaze darkens. "Tribute?"

"Yeah. A very sad story. His group who were basically his family were ambushed and killed by bandits while on their way home." Theo explains. I feel my blood start to boil and take a deep breath in attempt to calm myself.

"I see. Did he ever tell you his clients name?"

"Not really but I heard him tell one of his guards about a man named Delvin."

I nod thoughtfully and notice Theo studying me.

"As I said his name you looked at though you've heard the name before. Do you know this Delvin?"

I look over at him. "I do. He's an old friend of mine."

"Oh! In that case, I have a favor to ask of you."

I give him a questioning look. "Okay?"

He glances at his daughter who gives a nod and he continues. "Giles asked me to deliver Delvin's sword in Bradford when it was finished..." He starts to explain. "And you see, I'm not a young man anymore. It's a long trip from here to Bradford and..."

I hold up my hand to stop him. "Since I know Delvin, I take it you want me to take it to Bradford for you?"

"Could you? It'd mean a lot to us." He smiles.

"How long until the sword is ready?"

"I just have the finishing touches to do and then it is done." He says. "So, I'd say by maybe mid day tomorrow."

I pretend to think about this for a moment. "It'd be my pleasure." I grin. "Afterall, I have a little catching up with him to do anyways."

After we eat, I tell Theo we'll come back tomorrow for the sword. Isaac and I go back into town and spend most of our day shopping for food, supplies and some clothes so we look like couriers when we reach Delvin. After we were finished shopping, Isaac starts making his way towards the stables. "Hey!" I call to him. "Where are you going?"

"Stables. Don't we need to go make camp for the night?"

"Not tonight. We'll get a room in the local inn for the night. That way we can just get the sword and leave."

We rent a room at the Sleeping Giant Inn, and since there was only one bed, we decided to take turns. While Isaac sleeps, I decide to start making a plan. Once in Bradford, we'll ask around about Delvin. When we make it inside, I'll present the sword to Delvin but have my face concealed until the perfect moment then I'll reveal myself. I smile at the image of me slicing the little traitor's throat and watching him gasp for breath, As these thoughts played through my head, I slowly started to doze off.

I wake the next morning to an empty room. I quickly look around to see no sign of my bag of gold or Isaac. "That little bastard!" I fume. I jump up from my seat and start to make my way towards the door when it opens. I quickly draw my sword and point it at the base of his throat. His eyes widen. 'Whoa. Is everything alright?" He asks.

"Where were you and where the hell is my gold?" I growl.

He steps aside and walks into the room before setting two trays down on the table. He unties a pouch from his belt and holds it out ahead of him. "Here. I just went to buy us some warm food since we have a long journey. I'm sorry if I freaked you out." He frowns. "I took the whole thing because I didn't know how much it was going to cost." I take the bag and eye him for a moment before sheathing my sword. I place the bag on the table and sigh. "It's okay...I would just like a warning next time."

"Understood." He nods. "I would have wakened you but you looked so relaxed and I didn't want to ruin whatever good dream you must have been having."

"Yeah..." I look away at the food. "Well,Thanks...I guess."

We eat our food and then I go over my plan with Isaac. Before long, it's mid-day and we pack up and leave the inn. I send Isaac to go fetch the horses while I retrieve the sword from Theo. I walk up to the blacksmith shop to find Theo hammering away at some metal. Sensing my presence he stops what he's doing to face me. "Hello Eva." He greets. "Where's Isaac?"

"Fetching the horses from the stable." I reply. "Is the sword ready?"

He nods and hands me a long scabbard wrapped in cloth. I take it from him and mutter a thanks. I'm about to turn away as Isaac shows up with the horses but Theo touches my arm to stop me. I look at him. "May I see your sword?" He asks.

"Why?" I ask cautiously.

"Please?" He smiles.

I hand Delvin's sword to Isaac and slowly unsheath my own and hold it out in front of me. he thanks me as he gently takes it from me and examines it. "My... this is beatifully crafted." he says.

"Thank you." I say. "It was my husband's." I swallow back the emotions that threatened to emerge. "He made it."

"Ah yes. I heard about your husband." He said. He frowns sympathetically. "I've very sorry for your loss." I nod and he continues. "Was he a blacksmith?"

I shake my head. "No. His father was a long time ago and showed him a few things."

"Well his father taught him very well." Theo smiles. He looks along the blade for a moment. "How long has it been since it was last sharpened?"

"I can't recall. Why?"

He looks up at me. "It's starting to become dull. I can sharpen it and any other weapons if you'd like. Free of charge."

"If it's not too much trouble."

He shakes his head. "Of course not. I'd be honored to."

He sharpens mine and Isaac's sword and dagger and then Will's sword.

"Thank you." I say as we put our weapons away. "For all your kindness."

He opens his mouth to say something when we hear Sabine come down the stairs. "Wait!" She says. She runs over to us with a bundle in her hands. She stops next to her father and catches her breath. "Here." She says holding it out to me. I motion to Isaac who takes it."

"What is it?" He asks.

"Food for your travels." She says.

"Thank you." Isaac smiles at her. She smiles back at him before she nudges her father's arm. "The gift." She whispers.

"Ah yes! I almost forgot!"

"Gift?" I ask as Theo walks into a nearby room. "What gift?"

A moment passes before Theo walks out with a recurved bow and quiver of full of arrows. "Yesterday, I saw your quiver of arrows with you." He says. "So as a thank you for saving my daughter's life, I worked on making you a new bow with a quiver full of arrows." He hands them to me and I look at them in awe. "The stave is made of ash and protected by a coating of wax,resin, and fine tallow while the string is made from the strongest and least elastic hemp and soaked in glue to protect it from moisture." Theo explains. "In your quiver there are two types of bodkin tipped arrows. The long ones are for piercing chainmail and the shorter ones are for piercing armor plate."

"Wow...Thank you." I say. "These are amazing."

Theo smiles at this. "It's the least I can do." He looks over at Isaac who is standing their awkwardly. "Don't worry Isaac, I didn't forget you. I made one similar to Eva's set made of hazel just for you."

Isaac beams as Sabine disappears into the litttle room and brings Isaac's out and hands it to him. She stands next to her father and they smile at us. "Thank you both for everything." I say. "You didn't have to make us new weapons or anything like that. They're both amazing and it wouldn't feel right if we didn't give you something in return for your kindness." I signal to Isaac to grab the bag of coins we took from the bandits and he tosses them to me. I take Theo's hand and press the bag in his palm. "Take care." I say. They me and then Isaac and I mount our horses and make our way out of town.

"Well that was nice of them." Isaac smiles. "I can't believe I finally have my own bows and arrows!"

"Yeah it was." I look at him and chuckle. "Those are some fine arrows too but you're not allowed to use them just yet."

"What? Why not?" He frowns.

"Because you don't know how to shoot yet." I point out. "For now, I'll let you practice with my old bow and arrows until you get the hang of it."

"So you're going to train me?" He asks.

I shrug. "Might as well. Wouldn't hurt to have an extra archer as backup when we go against Delvin."

* * *

While Eva and Isaac made their way north, a group of men were on their way back South.

"I'm bored." Alan A Dale frowns. "It's been so _quiet_ lately."

"It hasn't been that bad. I mean we've had a lot more luck up in Barnsdale with hunting than we have in Sherwood lately." Will Scarlet points out. "I know Much has been happy with all the meat we've brought back."

"Yes but it's been days since a fat abbot or lord has stumbled across our paths." Alan complains.

Robin chuckles. "That is true but at least we've helped some poor strangers that came our way. Remember Ana? Little John helped her with her baby!"

Alan grumbles a response and sighs loudly. Suddenly Little John Stops and puts out his Staff to stop the others.

"What?" Robin says, reaching for his bow.

He sniffs at the air. "Do you smell that?"

The others sniff the air and Much wrinkles his nose. "Smells like something died."

"Maybe it's an animal?" Will suggests.

Robin shakes his head. "I don't know... Split up and search for the source of the smell." The man scatter and search around until they hear Little John call. The all rush over to him and gasp at the site. Three men are tied to a tree. One with an arrow through his throat, another shot in the heart and one cut open with his innards hanging out.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Much says. Robin could feel the food he ate earlier coming up but remained quiet.

"I agree with you." Alan says turning away.

"Who would do something like this?" Will asks. "Do you think it was the Sheriff and his men?"

"I don't know." Robin says. "But whoever it was, they are extremely dangerous. We should be cautious from now on. "

* * *

A few hours before dark, I slow my horse and Isaac gives me a questioning look. "Why are we stopping? We can make it at least halfway to Rotherham by sundown."

I dismount and and walk my horse over to a tree and hitch it to a branch. "I know but I figured it'd be better to start teaching you to shoot while it's still daylight."

He manuevers his horse near mine and dismounts. "Oh. I guess that would be a good idea."

While he hitches his horse, I grab my old bow and quiver of arrows from one of my packs. I stand yards from one of the trees and wait as Isaac walks over to me. I hand him the quiver. "Here, put one arm and your head through it so it hangs diagonally across your back."

"Right or left?" He asks.

"That depends. Are you right or left-handed?"

"Right."

"Then on your right." I say. I help him adjust it once it's on then hand him the bow. "Now grasp the bow with your left hand and pull back with your right hand." He holds the bow and looks at me. "Well? Pull the string!"

"But there's no arrow..." He says.

"You need to get used to pulling back on the string first. Feel the pull."

He does as he's told and pulls on it, holds it for a moment then let's go a few times. "Okay. I think I got it. What's next?"

"Now while holding the bow with your left, reach back with your right and grab an arrow."

He reaches back and fumbles for a few moments before finally grasping one. It gets caught on another arrow and falls out. He frowns.

"It's okay." I chuckle. "Now do you see the notch at the bottom of the arrow? Behind the feathers."

He looks. "Yeah, I see it."

"Okay, put the string in the notch." He obeys. "Good, now with your index on top and your middle finger supporting the bottom of the arrow, rest the shaft of the arrow between the bow and the knuckle of your left hand to steady and support it." I come up behind him to check his form. "Good. Now pull the arrow back and hold it."

He attempts this but his arm is down. "Raise your right arm so it is parallel with your shoulder." He readjusts and accidentally lets the arrow go. It glides through the air and hits the tree and falls.

"Sorry!" He exclaims.

"No it's fine. That's going to happen." I encourage. "Try again but this time look at the tip of the arrow to help you aim. Try hitting the tree, right in the middle of the trunk."

He reaches down for arrow he dropped earlier and I kick it aside. "Don't worry about that one. Just focus on grabbing one from your quiver."

He pulls another out and sets it up again. he pulls back the string and aims before letting it go. It flies up and snaps a few twigs and gets caught. "Dammit." He frowns.

"No, that was really good. Now When you aim, take a deep breath to relax you a little and then shoot. Try again."

He sets up and aims once more, this time taking a deep breath then shoots. He hits close to the center and grins.

"Nicely done!" I smile. "You keep practicing and I'll start setting up camp." He nods and continues what he's doing and I get started on the camp.


	6. We Meet Again

_**A/N: **To be honest Graceaga, the Robin Hood and Merry Men in this are probably a combination of the BBC show 'Robin Hood' and my own version. Since I've never written any fanfiction besides WWE, this is kind of uncharted territory for me lol I'm just hoping I don't make any of them look bad. SO, I guess we'll see how this all goes._

_As always, thanks for reading and reviewing! The feedback, definitely helps. :)_

_Enjoy!_

* * *

As days passed, Isaac got better and better at shooting. Whenever we breaked for rest, food, or camp, we set up some targets and sometimes had mini archery competitions. The journey took longer than we anticipated since Isaac caught something and was sick for a few days. He wasn't able to keep anything down and when he was finally better and we could continue, he was weakened and couldn't ride for long. This slowed us down quite a bit but luckily I knew Delvin wasn't going anywhere since he was waiting for his special sword.

Now back to his old self, Isaac bet me two sweet rolls when we get to Huddersfield that he can shoot three apple his horse's back.

"You know, I think we should shoot the apples off something else...for your horse's sake." I chuckle.

He frowns. "You don't think I can do it?"

"After practicing for only a fortnight? No."  
"Fine." He pouts. "What do you suggest?"

I think about this for a moment before walking over to one of our packs and pulling out a piece of chalk we bought when we were in Rotherham. I walk over to one of the trees and draw two vertical lines above one another. Standing back I look at them and nod.

"What's that?" He asks.

"That, " I say turning to face him. "Is what we're shooting at."

He looking at me skeptically. "Really? Lines? That's your big challenge?"

I smile. "Yep. The idea is you have to shoot three arrows, no more, no less at the top of the line, the middle and the bottom."

"Easy." He shrugs.

"But..." I grin. "The arrow has to be at the _exact _ends and the middle as to be exactly on the line. Not to the sides."

I see a flicker of worry in his eyes before he smirks. "Deal. Am I top line or bottom?"

"Your choice."

He grabs his bow that Theo made him and takes three arrows from his quiver. I figured he was starting first so I stepped aside to watch but he looked at me. "Ladies first." He smirks, giving me a mock bow.

I raise an eyebrow. "Don't make me shoot you." I say with a small smile. "You're the only lady first so..." I dip into a bow of my own. 'Ladies first."

He narrows his eyes at me and frowns. "I'm no woman!"

"Oh really?" I say, amused. "You shoot like one!"

His face reddens slightly. "Do not!"

"Just go." I chuckle.

He grumbles as he sets up his arrow. "Is there a certain distance or spot I need to be in?"

Snapping off a piece of branch near me, I walk over and set it a few feet away from him. "Right behind here."

He steps behind it and gets ready as I step back. He shoots three arrows at the top one. All three of them seem to be on the line. He turns to me, smirking. "Your turn."

He steps aside and I set my arrow up and shoot one after another. Like his, they seem to be on the line. "Nicely done." He nods.

"Thank you." I nod. We walk over to the tree to examine our shots.

"Damn." He frowns.

"Looks like you owe me two sweet rolls." I grin. He pulls his arrows out and puts them back in his quiver. "Aww, come on, Isaac." I chuckle as I pull my own arrows out of the tree. "No need to sulk."

"I'm not sulking. I'm calculating how much two sweet rolls will cost me. You only pay me so much, you know."

"I pay you normal apprentice wages of 20 shillings every other week." I point out. "Even though I shouldn't since you're basically my prisoner."

"You know you love me." He says grinning at me.

"I wouldn't say 'love'." I say as we put our packs on our horses. "More like the brother I never really wanted." I give him a smirk and he frowns.

"Ouch." He says putting a hand over his heart. "That hurts." As we mount our horses, I hear him mutter, "I'd rather be called a prisoner."

* * *

As promised, when we made it to Huddersfield, the town right before Bradford, Isaac bought me two sweet rolls. Seeing as he was close to beating me in the contest, I let him have one. While eating, we walk around and look at the different shops.

"You know," He says, mouth full of sweet roll. "I'd use all my pay to see you have an archery contest against Robin Hood. I think it would be pretty close."

"Who's Robin Hood?" I ask, taking a bite of my roll.

He practically chokes on his roll and looks at me wide-eyed. "You don't know who Robin Hood is?"

"No." I shrug. "Why?"

"He's a famous outlaw who lives in Sherwood Forest!" He exclaims loudly enough for a few merchants to look at us. I nudge him. "Shhh." I hiss.

"I just can't believe you've never heard of him..." Isaac shakes his head. "Your sanctuary is near Sherwood Forest AND I'm sure your wanted posters have graced the same posts from time to time.

"Well you know, when you're wanted, you don't exactly like to be out in the open much." I say.

* * *

With our horses held up at the stables, we decided to bed down at the local Inn and go over the plan.

"Isaac, repeat to me what it is you're supposed to do." I say.

"I am to dress as a servant and use the servant's entrance into the castle." He says.

"Good." I nod. "And once inside?"

"Once inside, I am to locate Delvin and spy on him to learn what I can about why he's in Bradford."

"And what about when Delvin is dead?" I ask.

He thinks for a moment. "When I heard the commotion of Delvin's death, I am to quickly leave the castle through the servant's entrance , get the horses and ride out near the little farm on the outside of Bradford where I'll change clothes and await your arrival."

Smiling, I clasp his shoulder. "You are a fast learner."

"I told you I am." He smiles back. After a moment his smile falters. "Wait, what will you do?"

I sigh. "I will go in through the front, passing myself off as a courier and deliver the sword to Delvin. Before he sends me away, I'll reveal myself and him to the death. Once the guards are aware of my actions, I'll make my way out of the castle and meet up with you."

He nods, taking this all in. "You sighed."

I give him a confused look. "Huh?"

"You sighed before you told me what you were going to do." He frowns. 'What's wrong?"

I look away at the wooden plate on the table ahead of me. "Nothing."

"You don't think you'll make it out of there...do you?" I say nothing and he continues. "Is that why I'm not joining you in the fight? Is that why I'm going away from the fight?"

"Isaac..."I warn. "This is my personal vendetta. There's no need for you die with me because of him."

"Then why have I spent weeks learning how to shoot a bow with accuracy?" He demands, standing up. "What's the point if I'm never going to be your backup?"

I stand as well and get in his face. His gaze never wavers. "In the beginning, I'll admit it was for you to be my backup, but after taking care of you when you were sick..." I pause for a moment before continuing in a softer tone. "After looking after you, I realized having you go into that fight with me, would get us both killed. Do you know why I am as good as I am at killing? Besides my husband, Delvin is one of the people who taught me everything I know. I know how dangerous he is."

"So because you helped me when I was sick, you now think of me almost as a weak child?" He fumes. "I'm far from weak!"

I shake my head. "Isaac... I don't think you're weak. I know a good fighter, but..."

"But what?" He demands.

I purse my lips. "But I've already lost one person I care about because of him." My bottom lips trembles slightly but I steel my emotions. 'I've been covered in my husband's blood as watched him die in my arms." I shake my head. "I don't want your blood on my hands. I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

His expression softens as he looks away.

"Please, stick to the plan." I beg.

He runs a through his hair and sighs. "Fine. I'll stay away from the fight." He says.

"Thank you...You never know, I might actually kill him and come back in one piece." I say, offering him a smile.

"Maybe." He shrugs. "So how long should I wait before heading out on my own?"

I think about this for a moment before replying, "Wait until first morning's light. If I do not return by then, I am dead."

He nods. "We better get some rest then. If we leave as soon as there's light, we should make it into Bradford by mid-day."

* * *

The next morning we dress in our costumes and start making our way to Bradford. Majority of the journey is made in silence until it is broken by Isaac. "You never told me what your life was like before the Shadow Hunters." He says, looking over at me. "Did you have a job? Siblings? What was your life like?" He asks. "Were you a noblewoman?"

I scoff. "Me? Noblewoman?" I shake my head. "Not even close. I was just a young, unmarried peasant. My stepfather was an alcoholic who was cruel man who beat me for unknown reasons and called me foul things." I frown at the memory. "He forced me to clean the house and work to pay for all his mead and ale while he sat around all day."

"That's terrible." He frowns. "What about your mother?"

"She died a year before this happened. The plague." I say. "When the plague swept over the land, I was sent away to a convent to escape it. Most of the convent was wiped out before I had gotten there. I remember asking the few remaining nuns why this was happening and what caused it and they looked me in the eye and said 'God is punishing us for our sins.'" I shake my head. "But I didn't understand it. "What did all those innocent children who died because of the plague do? What sins could they have possibly committed to deserve that?" My expression hardens. "The nuns who did nothing but worship and do God's will. What did they do to deserve dying in agony?"

Isaac remains silent and I continue. "In that moment they told me, I concluded that there is no God. If there was an all merciful God, why is there so much war? So much suffering? Where is the mercy?"

"So, you don't believe in God?" He asks.

"No. Why should I? If there is a God, why am I able to kill freely for money? Why is there war? Sickness? Death? Why isn't this God everyone speaks so highly of not stopping any of it?" I reply.

"What about Heaven? Do you believe that those who leave us watch over us?" He asks. I thought he would be angry with me for not worshipping his God but surprisingly he seems...intrigued.

I shrug. "Not really. I believe our souls leave us when we die but I think we go on living here on earth in spirit. Does that make sense?"

"Slightly." He shrugs.

"I believe that my husband my husband is always with me in spirit. I guess looking after me but not from above..." I sigh. "It's hard to really explain."

"It's okay, I get the basicness of of it." Isaac smiles. "So I take it when you came back home, your mother had passed away and you were left in your stepfather's care?"

"Basically." I nod. "Then one night, Will killed my father and saved me." I smile. "And I became a Shadow Hunter."

"Incredible. So what was your father like before the plague struck?"

"He was a carpenter. A fine one at that." I pause for a moment as a thought struck me.

"What?" Isaac urges, noticing my prolonged silence.

"It just now occurred to me that becoming a drunk was maybe his way of dealing with my mother's death..." I frown. "After all, he was the one that was around her as he died."

"Regardless to his sorrow, he shouldn't have treated his wife's daughter with such unkindness." Isaac frowns. "If my wife would have had the child and happened to die during childbirth, I'd be mournful for the loss of my wife but rejoice that I still have a piece of her alive in my arms, wiggling and crying." He remains silent after this and I stay quiet as well.

* * *

The rest of the journey is made in silence until we are almost to in the square. I look over at him and he meets my glance, I nod to him to signal to stable his horse and get started on his part of the plan. I circle the market area a few times before trotting over to the stables myself. Isaac's horse is already there and he is nowhere to be seen.

Once my horse is secured in the stable, I grab the Delvin's sword and start making my way to the castle. I get to the doors and get stopped by the guards. "Halt! What business have you with the Duke?" One of the two ask.

I have my cloak on to conceal my weapons, with the hood up. I look up at them and smile. "I've been sent by the blacksmith in Worksop to deliver a sword to a Mr. Mallory here in Bradford. I was told he was here visiting his friend the Duke."

"Where's your papers?" The other guard asks. "We were told to look for a certain paper with a seal on it before allowing anyone in."

"Of course!" I say. "One moment."

The night before the sword was finished, Theo wrote out an official statement saying that he wasn't able to personally deliver the sword so he sent a friend of his instead as a courier. I show them the letter with Theo's personal seal and they hand it back to me. "Alright, go on in."

The doors open and I thank them. Once inside I'm met by a man who looks like a servant. "Hello!" He greets. "You're the courier we've been expecting, I presume?"

"That is correct." I nod.

"Very well. Follow me." He says. He leads me through the castle to the great hall where the bane of my life himself sits in a large chair on the back wall, watching a jester. There are guards on either side of him and a few others watching the amusement as well. The servant tells me to wait as he approaches. "My lord." He says. Delvin holds up his hand to make the jester stop and looks at the servant.

"Yes? What is it?" He asks, slightly annoyed. "I'm enjoying myself."

"I apologize sir..." He says bowing his head. "Your courier from Worksop has arrived. She just got here."

"She?" He asks, sitting up straight. The servant nods and Delvin motions him aside. He moves and I keep my head down but look up at him with my eyes. I see Delvin's eyes watch me for a moment before he says. "Bring her here."

The servant nods and scurries over to me and tells me to stand before Delvin. I obey and kneel before him, my face still shadowed by my hood. He asks to see Theo's paper as proof of being the courtier. I hand it to him and wait as he reads it.

"Very well." He says. He dismisses everyone in the room, including guards leaving it to be just the two of us.

"Show me the sword." He says standing up from his seat and walking over to me.

I nod and hold it out to him. He takes it and unsheathes it before examining it. "Beautiful." He says thoughtfully. Sliding it back in the scabbard, he looks at me. "Did the man who made this say anything about it that I may need to know?"

I shake my head.

There's a brief silence that felt like it lasted forever. I had to control the urge to throw back my hood and slice his throat right here and now. My thoughts are cut short as he speaks. "You don't talk much, do you?"

Again, I shake my head. "Why do you not look at me? Are you frighteningly beautiful? Hideous?"

I shake my head. "Then reveal yourself to me, stranger. I would like to look into your eyes as I thank you."

I smirk to myself as I hold onto the sides of my hood. "Very well." I say, flipping it back. I look at him and instantly I am consumed with blinding hatred. "Hello Delvin.. We meet again."

I expect to see anger or shock or both but instead, he smirks. "Hello again, Eva!" He says. "How's William?"

I clench my fists at my sides and clench my jaw. "He's dead." I say through my teeth. "No thanks to you."

"That's a pity..." He says, uncaring. "I always told you love was weakness..

"You bastard!" I exclaim stepping forward. "How could you betray your family? Especially your most loyal friend?"

"Loyal?" He scoffed. "He wanted to run away with you and 'live happily ever after' and leave all of us who have supported him through the years, just because he was 'in love'."

"How did you-"

"How did I what?" He asks. "Know about your little plan to desert the Hunters? Oh Will told me all about it and asked for my blessing." He shrugs. "I told him he'll find out after your mission."

My jaw dropped. He did this because we wanted to leave? A new wave of hatred crashes over me as I draw my sword.

"This ends now." I say. Smirking, he draws his sword from Theo and tosses the scabbard to the side.

"Bring it."

* * *

After leaving the stables, I do as I'm told and go around to the servant entrance. Women and men alike are scrambling around busy with work. I try to sneak out into the hallway when I heavyset woman stops me. "Oi, you!" Cursing under my breath I turn to face her.

"Yes?"

"Where do you think you're goin'?"

"Uh..." I say, trying to think of something to say when she thrusts a tray into my hands.

"Take this to the Duchess's room. Poor dear isn't feeling well." She says. I look down at the food longingly and she slaps the back of my head. "Get to it you stupid boy!"

I step into the hallway and make a face at the door as it closes before I start walking around trying to find the Duchess's quarters. After wandering around aimlessly for a few minutes, I get stopped by a guard. "Where are you going, boy?"

I frown. "Sorry, I'm kind of new. My wife is sick so I'm filling in for her. I need to take this food to the Duchess but have no idea where her room is."

"Go back then turn right. It's the door at the very end of the hall." He says,

"Thank you." I say graciously. I do as he says and come to to the Duchess's door. The two guards on either side see me coming with the tray and open the doors. I nod to them and walk into the luxurious quarters and almost drop the tray as I look around in I look around, I almost drop the tray once more when a woman appears.

"Hello." She says softly. "Is that for the Duchess?"

The woman is no older than I am and like looks almost like a fairy. In my amazement of the richness of the room, I forgot that women like the Duchess would have maids and servants that wait on her at all times. She was dressed like a servant with her hair up in a messy bun. Although she was basically in rags and her hand and face were dirty, she was quite beautiful. "Is it?" She asks again since I haven't replied.

"Is what?" I ask dumbly, snapping out of the daze I was in.

She gives me a small smile. "Is that food for the Duchess?"

I look down and I remember what was going on. "Oh! Yes! yes, it is."

"I'll take it from you." She offers and I hand her the tray. "She's not really ready to eat just quite yet."

"Yes, I heard she was ill." I nod. "Where's the Duke?"

"Hunting." The woman shrugs. "Childbirth can do that to you."

"The Duchess had a child?" I ask. I look over at the bed which is heavy curtained before looking back at her. Frowning, she shakes her head. "The child didn't make it."

"Oh..." I look down for a moment, remembering how I felt that day I watched the bandits killed my wife and child. Overcome with grief, I bow to the woman and leave the quarters and walk around in search of Delvin. I see a group of women walking down one hallway talking about how they upset they were to leave the amusements. As I try to focus on what they're saying, a woman brushes past me and I cast a glance at her. As soon as she passes me, I realize she looks familiar. I turn to follow her and hide behind a wall as she stops to speak to one of the guards.

"Where is Delvin?"I hear her ask. "I need to speak with him." Even her voice has a familiarness to it.

"He doesn't want to be disturbed right now. He's in the Great Hall but sent everyone, including us away as soon as his courier arrived." The guard says. My heart rate quickens. Eva is already with Delvin and most likely has already revealed herself.

Pulling myself away from the wall, I start to walk back to the servants area and obey my orders from Eva. As I walk, I try to figure out who the woman who passed me is. Tall and agile with whitish blonde hair. She seemed so familiar in this unfamiliar environment. I get back to the servants entrance and start walking back to the stables when it hits me. I know where I've seen her before! She was one of the Shadow Hunters!

I sprint back to the area where I stashed my weapons and quickly grab my quiver of arrows, bow and my sword. I quickly change back into my leather armor and dash back to the servants entrance. I run past getting some startled cries and run straight back into the hallway. A guard starts to come my way and I duck behind a wall. I need to get into the Great Hall so I can help Eva. By the looks of it, Delvin isn't the only Shadow Hunter who betrayed her.

I pull an arrow from my quiver and set it up. I take a deep breath and run out. I shoot the arrow at the guard's head and he sinks to the floor. Setting up another arrow, I run down the hallway, taking out guard as I pass. "You'll be pissed at me, but I'm coming to help, Eva." I mutter to myself. I turn down a hallway and see the Hunter again but this time instead of the gown I seen her in before, she's in armor and armed with bow, arrows and a sword like I am. Since she's most likely on her way to the Great Hall, I follow her but stay a good distance to avoid detection. She stops before a door and look around. I duck behind a wall and wait as she walks inside, bow ready.

"Eva!" I call as I charge over to the door. A few feet away, an arm shoots out and clotheslines me. My head strikes the stone floor and I barely see the figures surround me. "Eva..." I mutter and then everything goes black.

* * *

Delvin and I face each other, swords drawn. "I bet you miss William terribly. Good thing you'll be seeing him soon!" He swings at me and I block. We fight back and forth until he swipes to the side and nicks my arm. I pull back a moment before swiping at him. he blocks and swings his leg behind me and I fall back. We cross swords as he stands over me and he leans down, pushing his weight down on my sword. "Didn't we always teach you to never be so eager to strike first?" He smirks.

"Fuck you!" I groan. I kick him back with both my feet and he stumbles back giving me time to get to my feet. I get back into a fighting stance. He smiles and runs at me. Our swords clash against one another over and over. I give him a gash on his cheek and left arm while I have one on my right arm, two on my cheek just below my right eye and split lip when he caught me off guard and punched me in the mouth.

We stare each other down and I spit out some of the blood that has collected in my mouth. "You deserve to die...traitor." I growl.

"I'm not the only traitor in the room." He says back before attacking. We battle back and forth, knocking each other into walls, shredding pictures and curtains with missed swipes. Finally I swipe at him hard from the left, catching him of guard and kick him. He falls back, dropping his sword. He looks at me in surprise and tries to reach for his sword. I stride over to him and kick the sword away and stomp on either hand. I point the tip my sword at his throat and grin evilly.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you." I say, raising my sword with both hands and lining the tip up with his heart.

"Eva!" I heard somebody call. I look up and my blood runs cold.

"Lucia?" I say in disbelief. "What are you..." I trail off and Delvin laughs.

"Surprise!" He says. Before I can react, Lucia shoots and arrow at me right in the middle of my chest. Pain radiates through me and I feel myself grow weak. I fall over to the side, growing weaker by the moment and Delvin quickly gets up.

"It's about time you got here." I hear Delvin say. "I almost died."

"Yeah I can see that." Lucia say. After a few moments, I see her kneel next to me and try to focus on her face as my vision starts to blur.

"Eva." She says in a urgent hushed voice. "Listen to me."

"You bitch." I choke out. "You traitor!"

"Quiet!" She hisses. "Be very still. Move as little as possible."

My hand gropes around for my sword and she holds it down. I try to fight against it but I'm too weak. She reaches into a pouch on her belt and pulls out a small vile. "Here, drink this."

"No, you...witch." I say, knocking it out of her hand. It falls and breaks on the stone floor.

"You fool!" She hisses. "That was-"

She stops as Delvin reappears by her side. "Move. It's my turn."

She obeys and Delvin leans down and smirks. "Looks like I win."

He holds up his sword and looks at it a moment before he presses it into my side. I wince and he chuckles. "See Eva? Now you know how it feels to have a thorn in your side. All." He twists it. "The." Twists. "Time!"

He slicing me in a few other places but by now, I'm so far gone, it feels like a pinch. I blink and see a blurry looking Delvin walking away. He says something and so does Lucia but I hear nothing. They walk away and I see two guards file in as my vision starts to fade. I look up at the ceiling. "I'm so sorry, William. I failed you." I mutter and then everything goes black.


	7. Change of Plans

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. Haven't been feeling very well. The next chapter should be up really soon since I have 3/4 of it done already. Also,glad you loved it, Graceaga. :) Although most of my characters are atheist like myself, I was super nervous about actually having Eva speak about it. Is that why you said it was unrealistic since she actually spoke out about it? Other than that, thanks for reading. I always look forward to your reviews! :)  
**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

As I drifted off into unconsciousness, the entire scene replayed over and over in my mind. I had him. His heart was perfectly aligned with the tip of my sword. In one swift movement, Delvin would physically feel my pain. The pain his betrayal brought on just because my husband and I wanted to go far away and live as a real married couple. Now, thanks to yet another betrayal, I am unable to avenge my husband.

As I feel myself start slipping back into consciousness, I become gradually aware of my surroundings. I hear faint whispers nearby that stop when I start to stir. I attempt to open my eyes, in hopes of awaking in the afterlife to see my husband's face. My vision is still blurred as I can barely make out the two figures nearby. The more conscious I become, the more aware I am of the condition my body is in. I feel weighed down and horribly sore all over as if I was killed by something large and heavy had crushed me.

Another figured entered the room and stood near the door with the other two. One of the first two say something before the newest person walks over to where I lay. I grunt as pain radiates through my body when I try to sit up to try and defend myself. I feel them place a hand on my chest near my shoulder. "Take it easy. Try not to move so much." They say in a soft tone. My brow furrows. Why does that voice sound familiar? I look up at the person and blink a few times before the blurriness starts to slowly fade. The first thing I'm able to make out is the brownish blonde hair and boyish features. His face is set in a concerned expression. "Isaac?" I croak. My voice sounds rusty and unfamiliar as if it hasn't been used in a while. "You're dead too?"

He shakes his head. "You're not dead. You were close but luckily they got to you in time."

"Who did?" I ask. "Where are we?"

He opens his mouth to answer but a deeper voice answers from the doorway. "You're back home."

I turn my head and am greeted by a sudden pain which makes me wince. My vision clears after a moment and I see the bulky man with red hair. I give him a confused look. "Edric?" My breathing picks up as I panic. Isaac and Edric are here and I saw Lucia with Delvin not to long ago... "What the hell is going on?"

Isaac leans forward and puts his hand on my arm. "Calm down, Eva. We're back at the Sanctuary in Southwell. You're home."

With all my strength, I force myself to sit up. I cry out from the pain but I can't lie back anymore. Looking down at myself, I notice all the bandages and I look around. The room starts to tilt here and there but I try to stay up. "That makes no sense." I say breathing heavily. "Not too long ago, I was in Bradford which is a long ways from here. How the hell am I suddenly back home?" I pause to breathe. "I was shot by that bitch Lucia and blacked out. I should be dead right now."  
"Maybe you should rest a little before we explain anything..." Isaac frowns.

"No! I want answers now!" I demand.

Isaac looks back helplessly at Edric who shrugs. He walks into the room and kneels next to my bed. I look at him expectantly. 'Well? Start talking!" I demand. "What happened after I passed out?"

"First of all, Lucia saved your life regardless of what you think." Edric says.

"The bitch shot me!" I exclaim. "If it wasn't for her, Delvin would be dead right now!"

"And so would you.." He shoots back. "Delvin found out you were coming after him. Lucia shot you with a poisoned arrow that slowed your heart so that when Delvin slit your wrists and your neck, you didn't bleed out. It gave Dyota and I time to get to you to bandage you up."

"How?" I demand. "Before I passed out, I was retrieved by guards...and you two were here!"

"We were the guards." He confesses. "We were worried about you so Lucia sent a message to Delvin claiming to want to forge an alliance with him." He frowns. "We were worried about you..." His cheeks suddenly redden. "We kind of followed you and kind of made Isaac here sick to slow you down..." He looks over at Isaac. "Sorry about that."

"That sickness was horrible." Isaac frowns. "But it makes sense."

"Why would you slow me down?" I growl.

Edric rubs the back of his neck, uneasily. "Lucia needed time to get to Delvin to forge the alliance while we were able to disguise ourselves as guards." He shrugs. "We were the guards that took you away so we could bandage you up."

I take a deep breath to control myself before turning my attention to Isaac. "And you... why are you still here? I told you to stay away from the fight and get as far as possible."

Taken by by my sudden shift of attention his eyes widen. He looks at Edric for a moment then back at me. "Honestly I was on my way out until I saw Lucia talking to some guards about needing to speak with Delvin. She looked familiar but thought nothing of it. I saw her again but in different clothes and armed heading to where you were." His gaze dropped for a moment. "I thought you were being set up so I started to run to you to back you up but then..."

"I clotheslined him." Edric says guiltily. "I didn't need him messing up the plan Lucia had."

Isaac's face reddens with embrassment. "My head hit the ground and I was knocked out."

"Not my intention." Edric inputs.

Dyota walks into the room with tray and smiles at me. "Oh good! You're up!"

She walks towards me and I look at Edric. "How did I get here in a few hours though?" I ask.

All three of them exchange glances before Dyota places the tray next to me and sits on the bed. "You've been out for a week." She frowns.

"A week?" I exclaim. "I need to start tracking him again and...and..." My mind starts to race which gives me a headache.

Dyota lays a hand on my leg frowning. "After your little meeting, Delvin left for France."

"Then I'll go to France! Delvin needs to pay for the pain he's caused!" My voice breaks and I look down. Dyota rubs my upper back comfortingly. "I know you miss Will."

"I do..." I nods. "which is why I need to kill Delvin. For Will." I look her in the eye. "Where in France did he go?"

"I don't know..." She says. "Besides, you're in no condition to need to recover from your injuries."

"I'll be fine." I mutter.

"No you won't. Until Lucia returns, I'm in charge. So as the current leader of the Shadow Hunters, I order you to stay here where it's safe and you can gain back your strength,"

With a little bit of effort I straighten and look her in the eye. "Dyota, I love you as a sister but I refuse to be ordered around. I am no longer a Shadow Hunter so you have no authority over me."

"That doesn't matter." Edric replies. "We're just looking out for you. If you want us to, we'll keep you updated on Delvin's activities while you recover. Please stay and take it easy."

Sighing, I look away. 'Fine." I mutter. "I'm a little tired with all this excitement..."

Edric nods and they stand. "Very well. We'll let you rest. You'll feel weak and tire easily for a while but give it time."

I nod and slowly lie back as they leave. _This isn't over Delvin. _I think to myself. _When I'm strong enough again, I'm coming for you and nothing will stand in my way._

_ Two years pass without word on Delvin's activities. Once fully recovered from my injuries, I spent my time training Isaac in becoming an assassin. Although the original plan was to kill him after Bradford, he proved loyal enough to be kept as an apprentice of sorts. It was nice to have a companion aside from my shadow siblings after William died. With the time spent training and, in my case, rehabilitating , we had grown close as if we were siblings separated at birth. _

_ To avoid going stir-crazy once I was back to my old self, Isaac and I were sent out on minor contracts and watched each other's backs. This gave us an opportunity to earn up some more money when we were ready to go and for Isaac to get some training in the field. One night when we were making our way back after fulfilling a contract, we made camp and just laid out under stars near our campfire._

"Can I ask you something?" Isaac asks.

"Of course." I smile at him.

"Would you ever get remarried?" He asks thoughtfully.

"I don't know." I frown. "I doubt it." I look over at him. "Why do you ask?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. It's been two, almost three years since William's death. You seem...lonely."

"Lonely?" I snort. "That's what I have you for."

"You know what I mean." He chuckles. "Romantically. I'm fine with just being your companion and loyal servant." He smiles at me.

"And to think I was going to kill you." I chuckle as well. "Both of us have loss our loved ones and now it seems over time, I've gained a brother...or servant if you prefer."

He laughs. "Better than prisoner." I laugh and we fall into a comfortable silence before Isaac speaks again. "So what are we going to do when we finally get word about Delvin?"

"I'm not quite sure." I confess. "I guess it all depends on what we hear. If we can at least hear his last whereabouts, we can start there and track him."

"Maybe we can hear something in Papplewick tomorrow." He suggests. "We pass right through there on our way back to the Sanctuary. We can refill on supplies and listen for any news."

"Sounds like a plan." I yawn and stretch for a moment before standing up. "Well, I'm going to retire for the night. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He smiles. "See you in the morning."

Seeing as we weren't in much of a hurry to get back, we spent the morning hunting and caught two plump rabbits. We used up the rest of igredients we had and Isaac made a rabbit stew. We ate and talked about our past targets before packing up the camp. It's about mid-day when we finally make it to Papplewick. The town is lively in celebration in honor of May Day also known as the Festival of Sts. Phillip and Jacob the Apostles. There was jestering, juggling, morris-dancing, horseplay, mock-tourney with hobby-horses, and quintain. we trot past a man putting a cabbage on the door step of a large woman who started to weep. "What the-" I start to say. Isaac raises an eyebrow at me and I motion over to it.

"The custom of placing a cabbage on the doorstep of girls who had behaved imprudently through the year was a more novel method of social control. Regardless of the care they may have undertaken with their flirtations and indescretions, they were surely to be found out on May Day." he explains.

I frown. "That's so rude."

He shrugs. "It's a custom around here. It was a custom where I'm from as well."

I shake my head and speed up a little. We pass a group of children and adults listening to this man telling stories. At one point I hear the name Robin Hood and remember Isaac talking about him being a famous outlaw.

We hitch our horses up at a stable and pay before walking around and watching the festivities and shopping for food. We spend the last of the money we have on some food and supplies needed for the rest of the trip. We start to walk back to the horses when two guards step out from out of nowhere. "Halt!"

We stop right before them. "Yes?" Isaac asks.

"Is that them?" One guard asks another. One of them pulls out two pieces of paper. He looks from us then to them before nodding. "You two are under arrest." The other says reaching for us. I grab his arm and twist it making him cry out before slamming my palm into his elbow before lookig at Isaac. "Run!"

He does as he's told and makes a break for it. I start to fight back, making people scream in the process before more guards come. I get kicked from behind then punched making me fall to the ground. Since that punch made me a little dizzy, I try to get my bearings. As I make it to my feet, my arms are suddenly wrenched behind my back and I am kicked right behind my knees making me kneel. 'Alright, let's go." One of them barks. They both grab my arms and pull me back up to my feet and push me to walk with them. Regardless of my personal troubles at the moment, I couldn't help but wonder about Isaac.

As Eva attacks one of the gurads, she yells for me to go. I quickly nod and sprint away into the crowd. I glance back to see none of them are chasing me and slow to a stop. I debate whether or not to return since there were only two of them when I am grabbed from behind. Struggle as I might, I couldn't get free. "Let go of me!" I fume. "I've done nothing wrong! I am simply a traveler!"

"I don't think so." A man dressed entirely in black steps out in front of me and smirks holding a piece of paper.

"And who are you to say otherwise?" I sneer.

The man glares at me. "Lock this criminal up." He says half heartedly with a nonchalant wave of his hand. I curse at him as I am dragged away towards the still trying to break free, I see my face on a paper next to Eva's and another wanted poster that has been eaten away. Regardless of my situation, I smile to myself. Finally I'm a known outlaw!


End file.
